Rising From the Mist
by dream royale
Summary: Zuko has a heart, we all know it. Here's a little story that shows the gradual thawing of his icy character. ZukoXKatara pairing. Additonal characters: Aang, Sokka, Iroh, Azula, Haru, Momo, and Appa
1. Chapter 1

The pack strapped to Zuko's back felt heavy, despite the fact that its weight was slight. Every step took severe concentration. Leaving Iroh behind without any sort of aid was really doing a number on Zuko's conscience.

Zuko hadn't wanted to leave his uncle. Iroh had chuckled weakly, "You're leaving the bird here, aren't you? See now, I am not so alone." Then he had coughed so violently that blood was left on his handkerchief. Iroh's affliction had begun almost four days prior, but with each passing day it grew worse.

To avoid Azula's wrath, the pair had skirted around villages, and unfortunately, the last town to have any medicine to cure Iroh they had passed two weeks ago. Finally, after seeing his uncle faint and slip from the bird, Zuko decided they had to find him some help. Iroh had agreed reluctantly, but was in no condition to travel anymore. He could barely sit up without huffing and wheezing, let alone ride for miles on the back of a stolen bird.

Zuko tried to assuage himself by remembering that he had left a large pot of tea boiling for Iroh before he'd left. He tugged his straw hat further down over his face, to try and hide his identity marker: the scar.

xxx

Aang hated the ground. He longed for the air, to feel the breeze rush over his shaven crown, and ride the currents from the glider. He glanced around him with increasing dissatisfaction. It seemed he'd seen the same tree pass him over and over for the past hour.

Katara caught Aang's frown. "Hey," she said to him cheerily, "Just think of how great it's going to be once we get out of this forest." She looked to her brother, a few feet ahead, who was pretending not to listen, "It is a shame we can't _fly_."

Sokka sighed, "If we fly, we could be seen. And unless any of you want to fight that fire bending girl again, I suggest you stop complaining and keep walking."

Aang nodded, "Yea, she was pretty bad. I wonder who she was."

The gang shrugged, and each wandered back into their own thoughts once more.

xxx

Zuko wished he had a rhino. He couldn't remember a time when his feet had hurt so badly. It felt as if his stomach was collapsing in on itself. He paused beside the road to rummage through his pack for something to eat.

His hand brushed the cold steel of his swords.

'Do you think we could have been friends?' the Avatar's words echoed through his mind, completely blocking out the other traveler's voice.

"Excuse me, sir? Could you tell me where Nishe is?"

Zuko jumped, cursing himself for being caught off guard.

"Nishe?" he asked, double checking his pack to make sure his sword hilts were not visible.

"Yes, the town of Nishe?"

"It's up this road, northward."

The boy's face brightened, "Oh good! So you're heading up this way as well?"

Zuko's heart fell; the last thing he wanted was to travel with this earth kingdom boy. "I guess I am." He muttered.

The two kept walking, now side by side. After a while of not speaking, Zuko was starting to feel a little relieved; at least the boy wouldn't talk.

"My name's Haru! What's yours?"

Zuko groaned inwardly. "My name is Li."

"So why are you going to Nishe?"

"I need to go there."

"Oh."

The silence was fleeting. Just as Zuko was settling back into his own thoughts, the boy broke the gentle hush.

"I'm going to the earth bending tournament."

"You're an earth bender?" Zuko couldn't help but to have a mild interest. He'd fought earth benders only twice before, and the second time was with his half-naked uncle, and that he didn't count.

Haru nodded. "I sure am! Boy, that's a story, 'cause a few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to even tell you that!"

"Oh, good. A story."

Haru plunged on, oblivious to the stinging sarcasm just thrown at him, "It's a good story! See, fire benders took over my town a few years back, and they took all the earth benders away, including my father. So my mother made me swear never to earth bend, so I wouldn't have to get caught, too." Haru was quiet for a moment, and then he said quietly, "I can't even describe what it feels like to not be able to bend, to know that your abilities could end up killing you."

Zuko didn't know what it felt like, and hoped he never had to experience the feeling.

"Anyway," he continued just as brightly as before, "I began to sneak away and earth bend in the woods. I did this for a few months, until finally I got caught. You'll never guess who caught me!"

"I don't suppose I will." Zuko was wondering if he should get some new shoes at Nishe as well.

"Guess!" Haru demanded.

"Your mother caught you?" How expensive were shoes, anyway?

"The avatar!"

Zuko tripped, catching himself just before he hit the ground.

"You okay?" Haru moved to help him up.

Zuko jerked himself upright. Emotion twisted his gut, and he swallowed the urge to yell at the helmsman to turn the ship around.

There was no helmsman. There was no ship. Zuko was out of the race to get the avatar.

"The avatar?" he asked, trying to regain his nonchalance.

"Yea, and his friends too." Haru looked away, grinning to himself. "He had nice friends."

"I suppose he does…" If you call a misshapen soldier with a beat-up boomerang and a mediocre water bending peasant girl 'nice friends', Zuko supposed.

So the water bender wasn't _that_ mediocre…

"So Katara, she's a water bender, convinces me that I should earth bend a man from a cave. You'll never guess what that man did next!"

The water bending peasant had a name.

"He died?"

"No, he went and told the fire nation soldiers that I was an earth bender! They took me to the prison camp where my father was!"

"Prison camp?" Zuko said aloud. He remembered that place. That was where he'd found the necklace…

"Yea, it was really big, and there was no earth, so we couldn't bend our way out! So I was there for a day, when guess who shows up?"

"Katara."

"Good guess! How did you know?"

Zuko shrugged, "I'm beginning to see a theme."

"So she says I have to go, but I don't want to leave my dad. So she stays! She pretended to be an earth bender! Isn't that crazy?"

"Crazy. Yes." And brave, honorable.

"She's amazing, Li. She really is."

Zuko glanced over at Haru to see his dazed, love-struck look.


	2. Chapter 2

Night finally slowed Sokka's pace, and the gang was allowed to slow. Appa groaned in appreciation for a rest. Aang and Katara collapsed next to him, leaning against his fluffy legs.

"So tired…" Aang muttered.

"So hungry." Katara said, and climbed up onto Appa's saddle, shuffling through their supplies. "Is this all we have? Dried meat and fruits?"

Sokka scowled at her over his campfire. "Well, there's always Momo!" the lemur in question screeched, "We'll get food as soon as we get to Nishe."

"Nishe…"Aang murmured in his sleep.

Katara descended from the bison and knelt next to her brother. "I don't see why we can't fly. We lost that girl over the swamp, even Aang thinks so."

"Look, we barely made it out of that fight the first time, and I don't think we could get lucky enough again. That girl has lightening! I thought Zuko was bad enough."

"What do you think happened to him?" Katara leaned her head on her knees.

"Who cares? He's off of our tails now."

Sokka yawned, stressing the point that he wasn't bothered by the prince's predicament.

"I just find it a little strange that we haven't seen him since we left the North Pole, that's all."

"Katara, seriously, who cares?"

xxx

Haru liked to talk. Haru liked to talk a lot.

Zuko didn't like to talk. Zuko didn't like to talk at all.

Needless to say, Zuko was seconds away from seeing if there was a difference between a burnt earth bender and any other burnt person. But Li wasn't a fire bender, so Li wouldn't know.

Zuko stopped at dusk and made a camp beside the road. Haru followed him and spread a bedroll on the ground.

Zuko sat on his pack.

"It's cold." Zuko spat conversationally.

Haru nodded. "It sure is."

Neither one made a move to make a fire. Frustration was being stoked with increasing speed within the prince.

"Should… probably make a fire." He growled.

"Yup." Haru acknowledged

"With… fire wood."

"Sounds good to me."

"So…"

Zuko hated doing things on his own, and he hated not being able to just send a flame from his fingertips, but most of all, he hated being cold.

He suppressed a snarl, and struggled blindly in the darkness to find wood. Haru watched him as he haphazardly threw the twigs down into a pile.

Then it occurred to Zuko that he didn't know how to make fire without bending.

"Have you ever been in love, Li?" Haru asked as his focus strayed to the stars that were beginning to burn holes in the inky exterior of the earth.

"No…" Zuko growled, as he tried unsuccessfully to rub two sticks together to make a flame.

"Really? No girl has ever caught your attention?"

"No." Who had the time for such childish mannerisms?

"That's a shame. It's a good feeling to be in love."

"Hm."

"Are you having some trouble?"

"No!"

"Do you know that shoes don't make fire?"

Zuko stopped beating his shoe against the logs at once. "Yes, I know."

"Then what are doing?"

"I'm testing the logs, of course. How else would you test logs?"

"Why test them if you're just going to burn them?"

At this point, Zuko would really have preferred to toss a particularly large flame in the direction of Haru's smirking face, but Li was physically incapable of doing so.

"If you know so much, why don't you start the fire?" Zuko spat.

Haru shrugged, "Okay. Do you want me to teach you?"

"No! Just do it!"

Zuko stomped off into the forest, presumably to take some of his frustrations on some logs that Li couldn't flame.

xxx

Katara couldn't sleep. Sandwiched between Aang's twitching form (his bad dreams were becoming more and more frequent) and Sokka's loud, snoring bulk, Katara found no quiet or comfortable place to even think. She tried to stretch out on Appa's saddle, but her fingers were soon too numb to feel.

So she sat by the fire, staring into the receding bed of coals, and wondering whatever became of that horrible excuse of a fighter, Prince Zuko.

xxx

"You'll never guess who I'm thinking about now." Haru said after Zuko had returned to the camp to see a perfectly formed blaze. With a jealous jolt, Zuko realized the earth boy had made the fire without incident.

Zuko's cheek twitched. "Your mother."

"No, but she is a woman. Guess."

"Katara, then."

"Yea! You're getting good!"

A few more hours of this and I'll go insane, Zuko thought. There seemed to be no end in the boy's useless banter. There was honestly nothing impressive about that girl, anyway.

"I wonder what she's doing now…" Haru said dreamily.

"With the Avatar." Zuko replied matter-of-factly.

"You think so?"

"Yes." Would he have said so if he didn't think so?

"I wonder what she's thinking about now…"

"The Avatar."

"Or maybe something else besides him."

"I doubt it."

"Really? Say, where are you from anyway? Did the Avatar ever pass through your village?"

Zuko hesitated, wondering how to answer.

"I knew people that saw him, but I never saw him."

"Did you see Katara?"

"No."

"Too bad. She has the prettiest blue eyes."

Zuko suddenly considered how it felt to be Haru. He discussed his greatest passions with strangers. Zuko could barely even bring himself to think about his own problems to himself.

"Yes," Zuko said without thinking, "She does."

"What?"

"Uh… I'm sure she does."

"Yea. You'll never guess what my favorite part about her is though."

"How long did you know her anyway?"

"It was a good two or three days."

"Two or three days? That's all? And you're completely in love with her?"

"Yea. Guess what my favorite thing about her is."

"I don't know."

"Guess."

"I don't know!"

"I love how she gets so sad when she talks about her mother. She's beautiful when she's sad."

"Why is she sad when she talks about her mother?"

"Because she's dead, why else would she be sad?"

"Oh."

'My mother's necklace! Where did you get that?'

The deep cerulean ribbon and glowing white stone had attracted Zuko's attention at once. He knew it had been the water bender's. He had picked it up, without knowing why he had done so. Before his men could see, he had shoved the stolen trinket into his sleeve. When he had revealed it to the girl, she had been furious to see that he had it.

"So her necklace is important to her?" Zuko wondered aloud gloomily.

"Yea, it is." Haru's expression suddenly sharpened, "How did you know about her necklace?"

Zuko blanched, "You… told me, remember?"

"I did?"

"Yes, you did."

"Oh, yea. I almost forgot." Haru yawned. "Well, we should go to sleep now. It's been great talking to you, Li."

"Talking at me." Zuko muttered in reply.

Haru was asleep within minutes. His snoring and heaving shoulders were dead give aways to his slumber. Zuko had more trouble falling asleep. Thoughts and memories he had choked down for months finally resurfaced; harassing him until he finally gave up sleeping altogether.

The ground was too hard; he was used to a decent bed, servants to bring him something to munch on (he hadn't eaten hardly anything decent since they'd left the healer's house). Haru had food. Zuko was very aware that Haru's bundle contained dried meats and a lovely crust of bread.

The prince sat up, the promise of food drawing him closer to the pack. Without disturbing the earth bender, he shifted through his belongings. There was food, and a spare pair of boots, a thick shirt, a pair of wool socks, a nice hunting knife, and a jar of…rocks. He could take it all. By the time Haru realized Zuko was gone, he could be in Nishe with medicine for his uncle.

Zuko stood, pack in hand.

It would be easy. Taking the bird had been easy, too.

Iroh had disapproved. Iroh would disapprove of this as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Aang was the first to rise, and helped himself to an apple Momo brought to him. Momo scurried to Aang's shoulders, carrying another apple for himself in his petite paws. Aang would have liked to chuckled, but he was actually rather occupied with deeper thoughts.

He had a feeling like they hadn't lost that girl in Omashu. She was following, almost as dangerously close as Zuko had.

Was Zuko even chasing them any more?

And where in the world was Aang going to find an earth bending master skilled in neutral jing? Those willing to teach Aang were few and far between.

xxx

"Want some breakfast? I didn't think you had any, so here's some bread if you want it." Haru offered.

Zuko rolled over, his body aching. How did people live in such squalor?

"Thanks," Zuko said, taking the bread in Haru's outstretched hand.

Sometimes it paid to do the good thing.

"We should get going now," Zuko said around a mouthful, rising to his feet.

"Yea. Good idea."

They gathered their packs and set off companionably (or not so companionably in Zuko's case). Haru began chattering immediately.

"So I was thinking about the earth bending tournament. I would really like it if you came and watched me!"

Zuko decided that honesty would be the best to answer Haru's question, "Actually, I can't. My uncle is very sick, and he needs medicine as soon as possible."

Haru sobered, "Why didn't you say so before? Come on, let's pick up the pace."

Zuko smiled, catching himself off guard, "Nishe isn't too far ahead. We should make it in a few hours."

Haru grinned back, pleased to see that his companion was capable of smiling at all. They rounded a curve in the road. Zuko's smile vanished at what his eyes now took in.

There was only one other place in the whole of space and time that he'd rather not be, and he'd been there before: an Ag Ni kai with his own father.

xxx

"Man, I cannot get that song out of my head!" Sokka complained.

"What song?" Aang asked, still munching on his breakfast.

"That song the nomads sang, the one about the cave legend!"

"Serves you right," Katara replied smugly. "For not letting us fly."

"Yea, Sokka, I really wish you would have let us fly," Aang said numbly, staring at the terror that had just stepped into their camp beside the road.

xxx

"Hey! Guess who these people are, Li!" Haru exclaimed, pointing to Aang, Katara, and Sokka.

Li didn't guess; he also didn't have to.

He gawked at the blue-arrowed child staring right back at him.

If this had happened a month ago, Zuko would have dropped his pack, thrown the girl and her brother aside, who were now in an attack- ready stance, and struck the avatar down. He would have finally had him, and his men would have escorted him back to the ship. But this was not a month prior. This was now.

A thought came to Zuko; it slithered, unwelcome, into his mind, awakening the prince to a horror he wished didn't exist: he owed the avatar his life, doubly.

He'd seen the arrow only seconds before it stuck his masked face. He'd fallen backwards, releasing the avatar from his steely grip. The ground rushed to meet him outside Zhao's fort. He had known that once Zhao picked him up, he would be taken to his father, where his punishment would most welcomingly be death. But when he woke, he was looking upward at a dappled leaf canopy. The boy had saved him, for no apparent reason.

And Zuko had repaid him by trying to bring him down.

The girl had bested him at the North Pole, and his face had met the ice with a force strong enough to render him unconscious. He had expected to wake up covered in snow, alone, and frigid. Instead, he had woken up warm, with his arms firmly clamped to his sides. The avatar had, once again, saved him from certain death.

Zuko drew away from the avatar's party.

A life for a life, no harm would come to the avatar this day. Besides, Iroh was lying untended in the woods waiting for Zuko's help.

"Haru! What are you doing with him?" Katara asked, not letting her eyes stray from the fire bender that had crashed their midst.

"Who, Li? Oh, we were both heading to Nishe, and we decided to travel together. Li, this is the girl I was-."

For the third time in his sixteen years, Zuko turned from the avatar, once protect his men, and now twice to recover his uncle. The price he paid for family was grave at times.

xxx

The four friends watched him race away. Aang looked at Katara, who looked at Aang. Haru scratched his head. And Sokka looked at Momo and laughed.

"Ha! We scared him off!" he shouted triumphantly.

"I don't understand." Haru murmured, "Why did he run off? Maybe you intimidated him, Aang."

"Why did you call him Li?" Katara asked.

"That's his name. He was going to Nishe to get medicine for his uncle."

"Iroh?" Aang asked. "Iroh needs medicine?"

Haru shrugged, "He didn't say his name, only his uncle."

"His name is Zuko, and he's been after Aang since we came from the South Pole," Sokka said, sheathing his boomerang.

"Zuko?" Haru gasped, "As in the fire nation Prince Zuko?"

"But why did he leave?" Aang asked, staring at the empty road ahead of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko was furious with himself. The prince part of him was aching to turn around and catch the avatar unawares. The nephew fraction was forcing his feet forward, toward Nishe, toward help for Iroh.

His feet pounded the ground, making the only sounds legible over the-.

The rhinos.

He stopped before he crashed the line of fire nation soldiers blocking the path ahead.

He wished the sight of those red metal uniforms would cheer him up, that it would remind of him home. But the thought of returning to the fire nation no longer brought any reassurance for Zuko.

He turned and bolted in the direction he had just come from before the soldiers could stop him.

xxx

The gang did not take any chances. Just in case Zuko had somehow rallied some mercenaries to attack them, each was ready to defend. Sokka led, occupying the space in front of Appa with his unsheathed boomerang. Aang stood in Appa's saddle; he acted as the eyes of the group. Katara and Haru brought up the rear, each with their elements handy.

Katara was beginning to feel the same resentment to Haru's banter as Zuko had.

"So then I swung the bolder into the tree, and the cat came down!" he exclaimed.

"That's great. It really is. Don't you think we should be watching for Zuko?"

"Yea, but he probably won't show up. He's just getting some medicine for his uncle."

"Here he comes!" Aang bellowed, "Everyone get ready!"

The prince barreled down the lane, his hat flying off of his head and streaming out behind him. He didn't seem to be slowing down, either.

Sokka raised his boomerang, taking aim.

Zuko rushed past him. He was rounding the bison when an air-ball came from nowhere and slammed him against a tree. He gasped, but rolled away and kept sprinting. He was almost clear of the parade when a particularly nasty water whip hit him so hard on the back of his head that he fell on his face. Haru pelted him with rocks as he struggled to his feet and kept running.

"Get out of the way! Soldiers are coming!" Zuko belted over his shoulder.

Aang stepped in front of the others to keep them from hitting Zuko anymore. "Maybe he's telling the truth."

"Why should we trust him?" Sokka growled.

"He has no reason to lie." Aang replied, flipping out his glider. "I'm going to see. Everyone get on Appa in case we need to make a quick exit."

xxx

Zuko ran, his heart pounding. He'd never run away from a fight with the avatar before, he realized. As much as it was hurting his pride to do so, he was also worried about Iroh. How would he get a remedy now?

He ran endlessly, with no hope of outrunning the soldiers. If they had seen him, then they would send their rhinos, and he had no possibility of out-running one of them. Just as it felt like his chest would collapse and his legs would crumple from beneath him, he heard what sounded like a great whoosh and a groan. He glanced over his shoulder to see the bison hovering about the ground, racing towards him.

Couldn't they leave him alone?

The huge beast flew beside Zuko now, keeping an easy pace with his erratic scurrying. The avatar leaned over the side and held his staff to Zuko.

"Grab it!" Aang ordered.

"No, Aang! Don't!" Katara screamed.

Before the boy could change his mind, or Zuko's pride change his own, Zuko grabbed the staff and was hoisted into the saddle, where he was glared at with five sets of eyes, if the lemur was included.

xxx

The avatar climbed to the front of the bison, leaving Zuko to stare worriedly at the people he'd been chasing (Haru excluded) for the past six months. If he was one of them, the intruder would be thrown off the side, to a most certain death. But none of them made so bold of a move. In fact, none of them moved at all; they stared him down, making him want to jump over the side.

Why in the world had he taken that staff? There was a slight chance that he could've run to safety. A slight chance, but a chance nevertheless.

The older brother moved toward him, his white bone club in hand. Zuko resisted the urge to flinch. The boy extended his free hand.

"Pack. Now."

"Ex… Excuse me?" Zuko stuttered.

"Do I have to spell it out to you? Give me your pack you hot-headed moron!"

Zuko gripped his pack, his lip curling, "No! And look who's talking you insolent peasant."

Before Sokka could fling himself on the prince, Aang grabbed his shoulder.

"Come on guys, we're three hundred feet in the air! The last thing we need is a fight. Zuko, please give Sokka your pack so he can check it, and Sokka, don't call names."

Zuko obliged, giving it over with as much reluctance as a five-year-old taking a bath. Sokka grabbed it and began to tear through it. He pulled out Zuko's stolen set of double swords.

Zuko caught an emotion cross the avatar's face as he saw the steel flash in the noon day sun. Both avoided each other's eyes.

"Why do you have swords? Isn't your fire enough of a weapon?" Katara asked pointedly.

"It's not exactly a good cover for a traveler to not carry a weapon," He snapped in reply.

Aang noticed the hilt was a different shade. "They're not the same swords."

The occupants of the bison turned to look at him questioningly. Zuko figured at once that he had not told them about his fiasco of the Blue Spirit, and he rather wished the boy would hold his tongue about it.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"Oh… I mean they're not the same swords I saw in his room… back at the South Pole."

Nice cover, Zuko thought.

Sokka produced a black outfit and hood. Zuko was relieved he had gotten rid of the mask.

"It's pretty warm out here, come to think of it. Why would you need this dark suit?" Sokka pressed.

"The clothes aren't going to hurt you, so you don't need to ask about them." Zuko replied icily.

"You are the one surrounded here, you know. If I were you, I'd just answer any questions that come to mind." Sokka growled.

"Sokka, is that really necessary?" Aang asked.

Katara ignored Aang's comment, "And why were you running from the fire nation? Don't they like even their own people?"

"Why don't you both shut your mouths and mind your own business!"

"Enough!" Aang shouted. "All of you will calm down! I'm going to find a place to land, and there you can all do whatever, but for now, no one can talk!"

No one retaliated. Aang moved to Appa's reins and began searching for a place to land. Zuko looked at the brother, and chuckled softly.

"You are bested by a twelve-year-old." Zuko provoked Sokka.

At that moment Momo jumped on the prince's head, sending him into a panicked frenzy.

"Get it off!" Zuko yelled, scraping at the mass of white fur now firmly gripped to his skull.

Sokka laughed, "And you are bested by a lemur!"

Sokka and Zuko had a stare down. Sokka lost. Zuko and Katara had a stare down. Zuko lost. Haru made friends with the lemur, who was hopping from person to person, having a lovely time getting his long ears scratched. When he jumped to Zuko's knee, however, the prince shoved him away.

Sokka continued to go through Zuko's effects, which was gradually increasing his desire to set him on fire. Sokka found a nice dagger with writing down the blade, and he considered keeping it, but Aang stopped him before he could pocket the find. Nothing much else was in the pack besides a map, some crumbs, and a large bag of tea leaves. Zuko flushed when Sokka held the tea up and grinned, mocking him.

Finally, Aang found a proper place to land, and the miserable riders were able to spread far from each other. They leapt from the saddle, and each began bickering at once.

"Give me back my things, you knave!" Zuko ordered, grabbing the pack from Sokka.

"Call me that again," Sokka drew his boomerang.

"Oh, I'm terrified. Lucky for you the avatar is here to clean up the mess I'm about to make with you." Zuko growled.

"His name is Aang, and if there's any mess here today it will be you, Zuko," Katara said, uncapping her water pouch.

Aang sighed. If they were going to fight, there was no way he could stop it. The hatred between Sokka and Katara and Zuko was too strong for Aang to divide. Haru had not yet joined a side, which was extremely wise, because the fight about to unfold was not going to be pretty.

There was a terse silence between the opposite sides for a spare moment, during which Aang heard the sound of a lot of stamping feet not too far away.

He jumped between Zuko and Katara. "Wait. Listen to that…"

Zuko recognized it first, "They're fire nation troops."

"Good. Go with them. Go home." Sokka said, boomerang still poised above his head.

"Don't you think I would if I could?" Zuko snapped.

"Shh. Guys, come on. What are we going to do? That sounds like a lot of soldiers." Aang said, putting a hand on Zuko's chest to keep him from lunging at Sokka.

"I think I remember this place…" Haru said, glancing around him, "I passed this yesterday on my way to Nishe. I stayed the night before in a cave not too far off of the road. We can hide in there."

"Oh, no. Don't you remember the last time we were in a cave?" Sokka said, finally sheathing his weapon as the footsteps got closer.

Aang and Katara glanced at each other, then looked away quickly, each blushing. No one else noticed.

Zuko walked toward Haru, "Show me the cave."

"What if he doesn't want to show _you_?" Katara snapped, "I think he offered it to us!"

"Actually…" Haru began.

Aang cut him off, "We all need to get somewhere or we'll all get caught. Haru, will you please show us all to the cave?"

"Yup, it's this way."

Aang herded Zuko in front of Katara and Sokka; there was no use getting them into another fight with the enemies closing in so fast upon them.

"Where will we hide Appa?" Katara wondered aloud.

"He'll fit in the cave. It's big enough." Haru answered.

Zuko was thinking somewhere along the lines of leaving him outside… and the bison too.


	5. Chapter 5

Azula was getting impatient. The troops had seen the bison take off, and just before that a traveler had caught sight of the soldiers and fled. The avatar had to be in the woods somewhere. She looked at Ty Lee and Mai who were looking ahead with mounting boredom.

"I thought this would have been a little better than New Ozai…" Mai droned, using Omashu's new name, dictated by Azula herself.

"Something's bound to happen soon, Mai," Ty Lee said jovially, "We're gonna see some action in no time."

"Whatever," the girl replied.

Azula rolled her eyes in her tent. She was honestly bored herself. Her 'friends' were even more annoying than they were in school.

A soldier appeared next to the tent, "Princess, I'm afraid I bring bad news,"

"Really? That's a shame. You know how I take bad news." Azula said with deceptive sweetness.

"Yes, well…" the soldier took a deep breath, hoping it would not be his last, "We haven't found the bison in this area of the woods."

"And you've sent your men to the far reaches of the forests?"

"Well… no."

She turned toward him, and through the gauzy curtains he could see her scowl, "Then why are you bothering me? Go into the forest until you reach the other side! I didn't bring you along to tell me you are incapable of carrying out my orders!"

"Yes, Princess," He rushed away, practically diving into the woods.

xxx

"That's it?" Zuko snarled.

A twenty some foot waterfall spurted from the cliff side in the woods. At the basin of the waterfall was a pit, a very dark, deep, hollow pit.

The group peered over its side. Even Aang found it's darkness to be a bit foreboding.

"Yea, this is it," Haru answered, looking pleased with himself to have refound the cave.

"But, Haru… How did you get into it?" Katara asked, pushing the water aside to try and get a better look at the bottom.

"Earth bending!" He exclaimed.

"Obviously," Sokka said gloomily, "And how exactly are we going to get Appa down there?"

"You're standing on my solution, Sokka," Haru sloped the earth upward, forcing Sokka to fall onto his backside. The rest retreated quickly.

Haru spread his arms to his sides, and the ground around him began to rumble, and with one smooth, solid motion, the rock and dirt surrounding the waterfall pit shifted. If any of the group members had blinked (which none of them did), then they would have seen a sinkhole one second and a spiral staircase descending pleasantly into the cavern the next moment. Haru stepped back from his handiwork and bowed with a flourish.

A smile broke out upon Aang's face, "That was great, Haru!"

"Maybe I could teach you some? I'm not much of a master, but I know a little bit I can show you."

"That'd be great!"

Haru and Aang scuttled down the stairs, chittering about bending techniques. Sokka followed wearily, still unsure of the rocks' stability. Zuko glanced at the girl, who was gazing with a peaceful expression at the cascading falls. He paused his way to the cavern lip to see what she was going to do. She merely watched it.

He looked at the waterfall. Nothing special. He looked back at her. Was she seeing something in this thing that he wasn't?

"What are you doing?" he finally asked her.

His sharp tone jerked her from her thoughts. Her gaze floated to the source of the sound.

"Don't you think it's amazing?" She asked softly.

He glanced at it once more. "You think it is?"

"Well… yes."

His brow crumpled in confusion. Why would anyone think water was fascinating? He was just hoping he wouldn't get soaked. He shrugged and stepped down the stairs. Sokka gave him a shrewd glare once he reached the slick rock floor.

"You took long enough. What were doing, signaling the fire nation?" Sokka asked.

"Listen, you squib, you've made your opinion clear that you don't want me around. I'm going to stay down here until the troops pass, then I'm leaving to find my uncle."

"Where is your uncle?" Aang asked, appearing beside him.

"Why does this concern you?" Zuko snapped and crossed the cave to sulk in a corner.

Aang watched him go with some mix of sympathy, whereas Sokka was ready to let Zuko see just how far down the water pit really was.

"You don't really believe him, do you?" Sokka asked Aang in an undertone, "He's got you just where he wants you. What are we going to do once fire nation soldiers come at this place? We're as good as beached whales!"

Aang glanced over his shoulder at the pale teenager who was making a small blaze in his palm. "I really think he's out of this, Sokka. I think what he told Haru was true; his uncle is sick, and he needs medicine."


	6. Chapter 6

The best thing about tracking the air nomads' bison was that the beasts made huge, very distinguishable foot prints. Unfortunately, once it took off into the air, there was no way of telling which way it had gone.

This was the predicament the princess faced now.

"What are we going to do now, Princess Azula?" Ty Lee asked, a broad grin on her face, despite the day's fruitless travel.

"They headed south, to avoid the men posted outside Nishe, and to avoid being followed, they turned east… or west." Unlike her brother, Azula was not foolish enough to pretend to know all.

"Maybe they landed in the forest," Mai sighed, "If they did, there's no way we'll catch them."

"On the contrary, Mai," Azula smiled maliciously, "Half of us will go one way, and the other half will go the other. You and Ty Lee will take the eastern forest, and I will take the western. It won't be hard to find the bison in the forest; the footprints are unmistakable."

xxx

Sokka wouldn't let Zuko light the fire. Haru wouldn't let Zuko help him close the cavern opening back up; how could he? Katara wouldn't even come into a twenty-foot radius of Zuko. And Aang wasn't talking to anyone, because he said he was 'meditating', which included balancing on an air-ball and chasing Momo around the cave.

Needless to say, it was an unhappy bunch.

Zuko huddled against the cave wall, sitting on his haunches and watching the rest with great interest. He'd chased them for so long, yet he barely knew them.

The water tribe boy was clearly dissatisfied with his situation. He moped around, complaining about everything, but he really had nothing much to complain about; his sister was currently fixing up some sort of stew and trying to calm him down. Zuko wished sorely that he had a sister such as her.

The girl was patient when she had to be; otherwise she was very short-tempered, particularly with Sokka. Her movements flowed, like the water she was so capable of contorting to do her bidding, graceful, but piercing and effective. Her eyes flashed to Zuko from across her place kneeling by the flames, stirring the water by swirling her hand above the small pot's surface. Zuko held his gaze.

Subconsciously, Katara reached up to grab her necklace. Having Zuko here, right in front of her, was like having all of her nightmares come to life and hang about her shoulders, pestering her like arctic moths. The only exception was that he could sting, and it was her great fear that he would. She wouldn't admit it to Sokka, of course, but Katara was strongly apprehensive about Zuko. She trusted Aang's judgment, but he was no sage; he could be wrong. She held Zuko's amber gaze, which, likewise, did not waver.

"Is it done yet? I think my stomach's eating itself!" Sokka whined.

Katara finally ripped her gaze from the prince and turned to her brother, "If you're so hungry, why don't you cook?"

"Men can't cook-."

"Are you saying that that's a woman's job?" Katara snapped, her blue eyes shimmering dangerously.

"No…"

"I didn't think so. I will be done in a little while, Sokka, so just be patient."

Aang finally rested his air-ball, falling with a small thump onto the ground. He had been trying to come up with a logical reasoning to believe Zuko was really not setting him up for capture. The uncle theory was lacking quite a bit of dependable evidence. Zuko seemed to show up when the group was entirely unprepared, and when they did expect him, he did not satisfy their hunches.

Aang wanted to believe Zuko. He so badly wanted to believe him. He hated having enemies. Life a hundred years ago had been friendly, and every stranger was chummy. There were no threatening people in Aang's eyes a century prior. Now he had to question everyone, because there was quite a price on the avatar's head, and almost no one would dare pass up an opportunity to win some points with the fire nation.

He jetted himself upright and walked to the stew pot.

Zuko rolled his head to the side, trying to ignore the gnawing pain in his abdomen. Whatever was in that pot smelled very, very good.

He closed his eyes, feeling slightly at ease because the avatar had stopped his bothersome spinning on that… air current. Zuko was also put more at ease because he knew the boy would let no harm come to him. Sleep claimed him, and the final thought on the tip of conscience was that he trusted Aang; he would put his life in his blue-arrowed hands in a heartbeat.

xxx

He was having a most pleasant dream…Something warm and loving, and he was pretty sure that his father and sister had not been around. In fact, Zuko had been Iroh's son. They sat at a table overlooking the beauty of the fire nation's mountains, and a fat, honey-roasted boar sat expectantly on the table, and Zuko could swear he could taste the succulent meat melting on his tongue. Iroh had smiled at him, and said, "Zuko, wake up. I have something for you."

What did he have?

Zuko muttered back, "What? Tell me what…"

Katara nudged his foot again, "Zuko! Wake up before Sokka does!"

Zuko rolled his head against the wall and blinked up at the girl in front of him.

That was not Iroh…

"What?" He asked groggily, "What do you want?"

She held a wooden bowl in her hands, "Well, if you don't want it, fine. I was going to give you some soup-."

Zuko outstretched his hand immediately. She handed him the bowl with a scowl.

She waited. He said nothing, just began gulping the stew like a man who hadn't eaten in days. She turned away in a huff, so much for thanks.

Zuko said between greedy swallows, "Thank you."

She turned to see the sincerity in his face, and was not disappointed.

"You're…welcome." She said softly.

She returned to her spot between Sokka and Aang, who were both snoozing. Haru was sprawled next to Sokka, also so deep in slumber that he had not witnessed the strange and eye-opening reaction between a water bender from the South Pole and a banished fire nation prince.

She watched him carefully, and he seemed not to be scornful.

She shouldn't have given him the meal at all. It would be 'feeding the enemy', as Sokka would have said, if he had been awake to witness her kindness.

Sleep had claimed her attentions for awhile before that, but she had awoken with the strangest feeling of being hungry. Yet the sensation was fleeting, and a satisfying fullness occupied her stomach once more. She had looked up at Zuko, across the cave, and his uncomfortable slouch against the wall. Her mind provoked her with the thought that the poor boy hadn't had any food.

Her heart practically stopped.

Poor boy? That was the last thing anyone would classify that spoiled teenager as.

Katara paused her thoughts again, and simply watched him polish off the stew. She couldn't wait until he left, and maybe they'd be lucky enough not to see him return ever again. If Aang was right, then Zuko had no reason to chase them anymore.

With this thought, she drifted into an uneasy sleep, where she was, in turn, watched by the mysterious prince that had joined them that night.

xxx

The carriage stumbled for the sixth time that night. Azula scowled. There was no reason for her discomfort, other than her men's inability to walk.

There was the moon to light their path, after all.

She leaned from the carriage, exposing her face to the cool night air. She found the captain and beckoned him to come closer.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Would you kindly tell me, I'm having trouble remembering, what nation are we from?"

"My… my lady?"

"What nation, Captain?"

"The… the fire nation, Princess."

"Oh really? Well, then why is it that we are stumbling in the dark! I thought we were capable of conjuring fire!"

"Yes, yes, your highness. I shall get right to that."

"See to it that you do, or I'll have to 'rediscover' my ability to bend and 'accidentally' burnthe hair off of your scalp!"

She settled back into her seat, momentarily calmed by the shouting.

She wished she were back home. She hated traveling. She hated dealing with stupid low-ranks. But she loved making her father proud, which she did very often. A few more days and she'd have the avatar in her hands, and she'd be able to return to the fire nation, sporting the prize that so many men before her had failed to bag, including that inept failure she called her brother, whom she also had to catch. Once she had the three: Iroh, Zuko, and the avatar, she could resume her place in the palace, doing exactly as she pleased.

The captain rushed to the front of the procession and held a fistful of flames in front of him, just before tripping over a pot-bellied old man huddled against a tree.

Azula's chase just became a little easier.


	7. Chapter 7

He blinked. Why was it so dark?

Zuko struggled to sit up and glanced around him. A cave?

Oh… The avatar. He looked across the ashes of the fire to see the bundle of yellow and red robes. An ache that had plagued Zuko for months filled him now. He stood, careful to avoid brushing his head on the ceiling.

He took one step towards Aang, and his foot knocked into the bowl the girl had given him the night before.

He had been wronged. He had been banished for doing the honest, decent thing. He had wanted to save those innocent men.

Zuko raised his gaze back to the avatar.

Why should everyone else suffer for Zuko's own demented past? They had done nothing wrong. He lowered himself back onto the cave floor.

He would never sit upon the throne of the fire nation. His people would forever look at him as a failure, a traitor, and his father would never accept him again. But at least Zuko could know that no lives had been uprooted to satisfy his own desires. He was not his father, and that knowledge brought a strange peace to his heart.

A hollow _plunk _snapped him from his pensive state.

A stone had tumbled from the cavern lip to the water below. Someone was on the surface…

Zuko leapt to his feet, straining to hear the voices over the clamor of the waterfall. They were doomed, should those people come down here. He glanced over his shoulder at the bison.

The tracks led the soldiers right to this spot!

Zuko stepped over Sokka and Haru and shook Aang's shoulder.

The boy jerked awake, his eyes widening as Zuko stood over him.

Zuko motioned for him to be silent and pointed to the cave mouth.

They both crept to the opening, being careful so as not to come into view. Aang glanced at Zuko, who leaned down to whisper to him.

"We have to do something. If we sit here, we'll be caught."

"Well, I'm open to ideas, Zuko. It's not exactly easy to get out of here." Aang replied testily.

The rest of the group woke to their whispers. Sokka almost called out for Zuko to get away from Aang, but the grim looks on their faces stopped him.

A thought struck Zuko. He rushed to his pack, and pulled out his hood.

Aang watched him with a sinking feeling. He knew what he was doing. He looked to Katara and Sokka. He felt awful for not telling them what had happened when they had been at the ruined temple, but he felt ashamed, both of himself and of Zuko. The Blue Spirit had haunted his conscience since that day.

He couldn't afford to let his own feelings put the others in harm's way. He grabbed his staff.

Xxx

"I don't think there's anything here. Maybe the bison took off from this spot." Ty Lee offered, as she and Mai studied the tracks leading to the waterfall.  
"Azula won't like it if we come back empty handed. You know that." Mai replied.

The men paused their search of the area while the two girls decided what they were going to do.

"Let's go back the other way, maybe-." Ty Lee was cut off by a large whoosh, and something that sounded like water being sucked down a drain.

All eyes swiveled to the falls.

The cascade had suddenly bubbled backwards, the water rushing back up the other way.

Everyone backed away, their hearts beating several times faster than they had just a few moments ago.

Xxx

Aang pushed the water of the falls away, clearing a path to the surface. Zuko stepped next to him, slinging one sword from its sheath and gripping it in his left hand. Aang pulled his staff above his head, twirling it and pushing air beneath him, making him rise up off of the ground. Just as he was high enough, Zuko wrapped his free arm around him.

The two disappeared.

Katara's face was panic-stricken. "No! What are they doing?"

Sokka grabbed his club and boomerang. "I don't know, but that looked a little rehearsed, didn't it?"

"I think we're in trouble." Haru said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What's going on?" Katara asked no one in particular and joined her brother, gazing up at the passage that Zuko and Aang had just leapt through.

The water had continued to plummet into the cave once more. Its beauty did not appease Katara's worry.

"Sokka." She muttered, clutching his arm.

"Haru! Get us up there!" Sokka ordered.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. There are probably fire nation troops up there."

"Well our friend is also up there! So come on!"

"Haru please… this doesn't feel right." Katara pleaded.

Haru stepped closer and swirled his arms, bringing the rocks crumbling down around them. He stepped closer to the other two. The ground shifted, and a boulder that had been solid rock now rose into the air, with them on its back.

Xxx

Aang moved as if in a dream. The air above them had met him too fast. He wasn't ready to face the half a dozen or so fire nation soldiers. Zuko seemed equally surprised, and took a devastating misstep as he fell onto the ground.

Mai seized the opportunity that their confusion had allowed and thrust her arm out, causing arrows to fly at Aang. He ducked, narrowly missing them.

Zuko lunged, his swords, now both drawn, acting as perfect extensions of his arms. Ty Lee blocked him, kicking him backward from her handstand.

Aang heaved Zuko upright with a blast of air.

They had been such a good team before, why couldn't they cooperate now?

They had trusted each other then. Now they didn't.

Aang gritted his teeth. They would have to, he thought.

Aang hoisted Zuko into the air, and he spun, knocking Mai to the ground, and slashing two soldiers' chests. They fell away, writhing in pain upon the ground. Mai struggled to her feet, but a gust of wind pushed her down once more.

Ty Lee was having better luck. She danced around Aang, and he scarcely missed her with every water whip. She struck his side with her forearm, and the breath rushed out of him. She moved to strike his head, when Zuko swept his sword between them.

She shifted, watching the shining silver blade as it worked its way closer and closer to her with every slash.

Xxx

Haru was stable upon the boulder, but Sokka and Katara had to grab hold of him to keep from tumbling back into the cave.

None of them was quite prepared for the scene that met their eyes next.

Zuko, hooded and with swords in hand, had his back to Aang's, knocking arrows and spears from their path. Aang was pushing soldiers down with the air in one hand and trying to strike a pink-clothed gymnast down with water in his other hand.

"They're working together?" Sokka gasped.

"They're… winning?" Haru breathed.

Katara said nothing, preferring to think over what she was seeing when seconds didn't matter so much.

A wall of water rose behind her and crashed, without warning, upon all the occupants of fight.

Xxx

Katara picked her way across the clearing, making sure that all the people weren't going to wake up any time soon.

Sokka stood over Zuko and Aang, who were also unconscious.

"Why did you hit them too?" Haru asked, looking over Sokka's shoulder.

"It's kind of hard to pick and choose who I take out with a giant wave," she replied coolly.

Sokka pushed Aang's shoulder until he finally blinked awake.

"What happened?" he looked up to catch the fierce stare Katara was giving him from across a few limp bodies. "Katara? Was that you?"

"Yes, that was me. Aang, what were you thinking? And what was that?" she gestured wildly to Zuko, who was beginning to gain some control over his body again.

Aang looked at Zuko, hoping he'd rouse himself and explain exactly why Aang and Zuko did know how to work together.

Zuko pushed himself up groggily. "Blasted water…" he muttered.

Sokka pushed his broken spear in Zuko's face. "Answer Katara! What were you doing?"

Zuko pushed the spear away and jerked off his hood. "We were saving your sorry hides. What did it look like you were doing."

Guilt was taking over Aang's mind. Sokka and Katara should know.

"Tell them." Aang muttered to Zuko.

Zuko swiveled around to face him. Surely he didn't just say…

Aang leapt to his feet. "Tell them, Zuko! Tell them what you did because of your selfishness!"

Air swirled around them, and Zuko almost couldn't stand up with him.

"My selfishness? My selfishness is the reason you're here, and not in the fire nation right now!" Zuko cried in defense.

"You would have taken me yourself, and you know it!" Aang screamed.

"Don't you think I could've waited for Zhao to bring you where you were a little more accessible? I saved you, you ungrateful-."

"Ungrateful! I could have left you there! I could have walked away and left you to die, but I didn't!" Aang shook with rage, and the arrows on the backs of his hands began to glow ominously, "I saved _you, _Zuko! But you couldn't take that, could you? You couldn't let that happen. You were still going to take me to your father, even after all we had just done!"

Aang turned away, trying to calm himself. "You're right, Zuko. I wouldn't know of fathers. I'm glad I don't." he glanced at him over his shoulder, "If a father is a man who would force you to turn your back on your friends."

"I am not your friend." Zuko answered dully.

"I know. You told me, remember?" Aang stalked away, leaving Katara, Sokka, and Haru to stare pointedly at Zuko.

"What have you done?" Katara asked him quietly.

(A/N I think I broke my own heart with those last closing words... The next chapter will make up for the gloominess, trust me.)


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N I almost never put these in here, so I thought I'd start, and I'm too lazy to put this in the first chapter.

So, anyway, I started this story before I saw "Avatar Day", that's why Zuko is trying to save Iroh, not run away from him. Although I was inspired by the title and description of "Zuko Alone", I had not actually seen any previews for it or anything.

To answer my first review: I don't like Haru either, that's why I made him dumb, and I wanted to add a little humor. I personally haven't liked any of the earth benders they've Nickelodeon introduced except Bumi, and that includes Toph.

Oh, don't get me started on how much I LOATHE Toph.)

Azula was so pleased with her new find that she allowed her men twenty minutes to stop for breakfast. She fanned herself in her carriage with a widening grin.

One target down. Two to go.

She glanced outside at the old man leaning up against the carriage. He was in bad shape, and hadn't acknowledged that any of them were in existence since they'd picked him up.

Iroh was extremely sick.

Azula was delirious.

Xxx

Aang found a quiet place in the forest, far away from Zuko. Far away from everyone.

It was times like this that he wished he had died with his people. He never would have had to live to see the day when friendships depended entirely on your birthplace. A hundred years ago, it hadn't mattered what nation you were from. All were a family, and all were friends. It wasn't like that now.

Aang bit back unbidden tears.

Xxx

"I have to go." Zuko said, finally breaking the tense silence that engulfed the clearing.

"Good idea." Sokka snarled.

"No." Katara tripped Zuko by grabbing his leg with a stream of water. "You aren't leaving until you tell us what happened between you and Aang."

"The avatar is delusional." Zuko snapped, and tried to shake his leg from her grasp. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm leaving before any of these-."

He caught Mai's face.

"Oh no…" He muttered, recognizing the girl.

Sokka moved from his position near her flaccid from. "What?" he gasped.

Zuko looked around and found Ty Lee. "This is bad."

"Talk Zuko." Katara demanded, pulling an ice spear to his throat.

"I know these people."

"Are they from the fire nation, too?" Haru asked.

They all glared at him.

"Haru, be quiet for just a few seconds, okay. This is kind of important." Sokka said.

"These two are my sister's… friends."

"You have a sister?" Sokka gasped.

"These are the same people who were at Omashu!" Katara exclaimed. "But that other girl is missing. The fire bending one."

"Your sister?" Sokka questioned.

Zuko shrugged. "It's not my problem. I'm leaving."

He walked to the cave entrance.

"No way down without an earth bender…" Katara said smugly.

Zuko turned to her with rising agitation. "Your childish comments are really beginning to test my nerves, you little peasant!"

Katara scowled and held her arms up challengingly, "Tell me why Aang is so upset, and I'll consider not beating you too bad, Zuko."

Zuko took his stance, smoke fizzling from the ends of his fingertips. "I don't have to tell you anything, and you have no chance of beating me!"

Sokka scoffed, "From what it sounded like to me, she beat you before."

"Quiet, filth!" Zuko yelled, taking his eye momentarily from Katara and glaring at Sokka, "You're next!"

"Don't touch Katara!" Haru bawled at Zuko, as if his threat would sway Zuko's actions in any way.

Zuko steadied his left leg, rooting himself to the ground, and pulled his right leg to his hip. He swung his heel forward, propelling a fireball in Katara's direction.

She blocked it with a wall of water.

Momo screeched from Sokka's shoulder. Sokka yawned. He hated these bender fights. The most he could do was give moral support. He rolled his neck, and caught movement from the corner of his eye; Ty Lee was rising, rubbing her head with one spidery hand.

Sokka grabbed his club and whopped her on the crown with the butt of his weapon. She groaned and slumped back onto the ground.

"Can you two hurry? They're starting to wake up." He said, checking around to make sure he didn't have to whack anyone else's head.

"Don't worry, Sokka. This should be quick." Katara smirked.

Zuko heard the falls thundering behind him, and realized his position was at full disadvantage. If a fire bender did not have an offensive standing, he was as good as dead. The fire nation's only weakness was its lack of defense.

Katara's arms swooped around her.

Zuko bolted for her, flames in hand. He had one shot; otherwise he'd wake up soaked, and probably staring into his own sister's face.

Katara bended the water directly from the fall's lip, focusing it into a point: Zuko's advancing torso. She pulled her hand in front of her to block him.

Just as he was an arm length's away, the fire from his left hand vanished, and in a flash of silver, she barely saw the sword being pulled from its sheath behind him. Katara dropped the water that had been only inches from pulling him down, and instead she threw her hands over her face in a panic.

The blow never came.

Sokka was yelling something obscene, and Haru was hurling threats at Zuko like Momo threw rocks. But neither Zuko nor Katara heard anything he said. She was too terror-stricken to notice, and he was too overwhelmed by his sudden actions to care.

He lowered his sword arm and stepped closer to Katara, glowering.

"I don't need to kill you to prove that I'm better." He snarled.

She felt a chill run over her, and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the temperature.

He brushed past her, ignoring the other boys' warnings.

Katara was left with a numb feeling, as if she'd laughed very hard for an extensive amount of time. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished that the burning light of Zuko's eyes would leave her conscience. But the image didn't fade.

xxx

Zuko stumbled through the underbrush of the forest. Again and again he wished for a rhino, for whom the thorns would prove to be no obstacle.

He knelt, studying the small, light footprints of the boy he was trailing. Zuko huffed impatiently. The avatar's footing was almost too light to see.

He must practically glide, Zuko thought bitterly. No wonder it was impossible for his men and himself to catch him.

The irony of his actions hit him similar to the branch that just struck the back of his head. He was trying to find the avatar, but his time it wasn't to capture him. It was to reconcile with him.

"I'm turning into Uncle," Zuko muttered gloomily.

He crashed through a thicket, tripping over the last bit of it and landing in the mud. He groaned and pried himself from the sticky earth.

A burst of red and yellow faced him as he glanced upwards.

Aang had his back to him, bent in meditation.

Xxx

Katara slumped against Sokka, half dead with relief and half uprooted with confusion.

"Are you okay, Katara?" Sokka asked softly.

"He doesn't make any sense," she muttered, bewilderedly, into Sokka's shoulder.

"I think he ran off somewhere," Haru said, still gathering what had just happened.

Sokka scowled at him, "Nothing gets past you, does it? Listen, I think we should go after him. He may be after Aang."

Katara pulled away from Sokka's embrace and looked around her.

"No," she answered quietly, "Aang can hold his own. We need to get away from here. Haru, we're going to need to get Appa out of that cave."

Xxx

"If you've come here to take me, please do it now." Aang whispered upon hearing the prince fall behind him.

Zuko straightened and brushed his pants off with the heels of his hands. He took a folded position next to the avatar.

"I don't want to capture you," Zuko answered, his voice hushed and distant.

Aang opened his grey eyes to peer at the boy seated next to him. He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came to his mind.

Zuko lifted his face to a slight breeze that had somehow found its way through the dense leaves. He sighed.

"I was always taught that the fire nation had a… a birth right over the other nations. My father said we were meant to rule the world. Fire is meant to dominate…" Zuko paused and fumbled with the cuff of his sleeve. "It… it doesn't lead. It consumes. It takes everything without so much as a glance behind."

Aang narrowed his eyes, finding it hard to believe that these words were coming from Zuko.

"I've thought a lot about what you said to me," Zuko whispered, "And I think… We could have been friends…. I wish…."

"What?" Aang asked.

"Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I was someone else. What if I wasn't the prince of the Fire Nation? What if I could lead my own life, without prejudices or war…?"

"We all think that at some point."

"Well. I guess I can't change who I am."

"No, but you can change what you do. You don't have to be like your father." Aang paused, wondering if he'd said too much.

"I don't want to be like my father, necessarily, but I don't want to live my life as an outcast, with as much worth as any other convict of the Fire Nation… I just wish he'd accept me."

"Why… Never mind. What if you did something that was good enough for someone else? Does the Fire Nation have to accept you, or can someone else?"

"I… I don't know."

"I know it wouldn't be the same. I guess I'm kind of in the same situation." Aang's brow puckered in contemplation, "Other nations accept that I am the avatar, and they agree with what I'm doing, but I'll never know how my own people feel. Sometimes I get the feeling like they wouldn't approve… And I'll never be able to understand if they would…"

Aang drifted off unhappily.

"At times I wonder what would happen if my father did succeed. The world would be… Well, you would know. How would it be?" Zuko asked.

"I can't let it happen. There is a balance in this world, and if Ozai did take over, he'd tip the scale. No one can survive without a balance. Even the Fire Nation would crumble without any harmony."

Zuko stared uncomfortably in the distance, "I don't think Uncle wants my father to win this war."

"Do you?"

"I don't really have much of a say, anyway. I'm not on either side." Zuko answered gloomily.

Aang nodded, wishing that Zuko would've agreed with Aang's destiny.

"I don't think I've talked to anyone this much since my mother was alive." Zuko added quietly.

"Were you close to her?"

"Yes. I was."

"I'm sorry."

Zuko shrugged, "I've had a lot of losses in my life. They're all starting to blend together."

"I know how you feel. Sometimes it seems so surreal… It's still hard for me to grasp what happened to my people. I just… I can't believe they're gone."

"Is there any good in the world, Aang?" Zuko asked, hoping he had an answer to satisfy both of their grief.

"Yes," Aang said thickly, "It's right here."

Zuko looked to Aang, and the two smiled at one another. For the first time in years, Zuko's doubts of himself were somewhat assuaged. And Aang finally felt as if he could end this war, little bit by little bit.

Zuko's face fell, "I have to go. Uncle is very sick, and I should've been back with medicine for him by now."

Aang rose to his feet and helped Zuko up as well, "I want to help you find him, and Katara is a healer, so maybe she can help."

Zuko turned away, his face darkening once more. "I don't think she will."

Xxx

Katara finished strapping a bag onto Appa's saddle. She looked up to the wood's edge again.

"Aang," she whispered, "Please hurry."

Sokka and Haru finished tying the soldiers and their two girl leaders to trees with their own rope. Sokka had discovered a coil of the rope while rummaging through the soldiers' gear. He had held it up triumphantly, an the two had begun to secure the enemies to the trees.

"Let's see them try and get us now," Sokka grinned at his handiwork.

"I think this will work, Sokka," Haru agreed, brushing his hands on his leggings.

Katara hopped down from Appa and hugged her frame. She walked over to the boys.

"Maybe we should go after Aang… It's been too long. He should be back by now." She said, her eyes still glued to the forest edge.

"Aang's probably just making sure Zuko's butt gets a proper kicking. Besides, it's not like that stuffy snob could go as far as ten feet without Aang escaping from him," Sokka answered, stretching nonchalantly.

"I wonder what Aang was so upset about," Katara pondered.

"He was probably mad," Haru replied.

She ignored his insufficient retort, because at that moment Aang had reentered the camp.

With Zuko right behind him.

A/N – Okay, be as brutal as you can! I was really excited about this part, but I think I made Zuko a little too un-snappish, and way too friendly.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N- I'd like to send a thank you to my reviewers thus far: yanocchi, izumi-17, heynamassu, and doubly to Rashaka! You guys have lifted my spirits very much. Actually, when I got the emails I ran around the house giggling and sliding in my socks… The reviews mean quite a lot to me!

I present to you, Chapter Nine. This is gonna be a good one.

I suppose I should also slap a disclaimer up here somewhere.

DISCLAIMER: I, dream royale, do not own any of the characters or episodes of avatar. However, I do own the words you see on this page. Ha! Sue me now.

Okay, one more thing, I need some help deciding exactly what category this story falls under. Right now it's under humor/ romance, but I'm beginning to make it a little less funny and a lot more serious. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

xxx

Mai was the first one to wake. She opened her eyes slowly, trying to grasp her thoughts as they pushed sluggishly to the front of her mind.

The fight…. The water…

She struggled to move her arms. They felt so heavy. She rotated her ankle; that felt fine. She tried her arms again…

Tied. They were tied down.

She looked wildly around her.

Ty Lee was slumped against her, also bound to the same tree.

"Ty Lee," Mai called sharply. She nudged the soldier on her left, "You too, get up. Get us untied."

Ty Lee's eyes fluttered and her brow began to wrinkle, which sported a dark purple bruise.

Mai tried once again, unsuccessfully, to jerk away her bonds.

"Azula's gonna kill us," Mai growled.

Ty Lee raised her head finally, "Mai? Wha… Where's the avatar?"

"He got away, and he took our freedom with him."

xxx

Aang was sorely wishing Appa had a bigger saddle.

Zuko sat in the rear, his arms folded across his chest, and his scowl replaced. Sokka and Haru were hunched over, discussing in undertones ways to throw Zuko overboard without Aang noticing. Katara hung over the saddle, hurling complaints at Aang.

"I don't trust him one bit!" Katara squealed for the sixth time.

"I know, Katara," Aang sighed, "But you trust me, don't you?"

"I…" she thought about it. He hadn't led them wrong yet. "I do,"

"I know what I'm doing. You'll just have to trust me."

Katara scowled and fell back into her seat, facing Zuko across the way.

Sokka burst out laughing at something Haru had suggested.

"Hey, Aang, I've got a joke for ya!" Sokka called.

"Sokka…" Aang said warningly.

"No, it's a good one! How many fire benders does it take to kidnap a little kid?"

Zuko's glare could've burned holes into rhino hide, but Sokka ignored it.

"Sokka, I don't think-." Aang started.

"Just two! One to banish the other one and one to throw a pity party!" Sokka exclaimed.

"You shut your mouth!" Zuko bellowed, rising as much as he dared onto his heels.

"What are you gonna do? Throw something at me?" Sokka scoffed, "Besides, you couldn't hit an iceberg from three feet away. What makes you think you can tag me from all the way over there!"

"Sokka!" Aang shouted. "Cut it out!"

Zuko raised his fist, tensing his arm to strike him, when Katara pushed him back. She stood up on unsteady legs in the tumbling wind and towered over his collapsed from.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just push you over." She said darkly.

"Because I said not to," Aang answered her, climbing into the saddle.

She tossed him an exasperated look, "I won't go with him! He's a menace! What has he ever done for us to deserve our help?"

"We're not helping him," Aang tugged her down, and she folded herself onto the saddled unhappily. "We're helping Iroh, and he's never done anything to harm us."

Katara glared at Zuko, "Why should we believe he won't just kill us once we've helped his uncle?"

"Listen Katara, I'm going to help him. I never said you had to."

She quieted and stared at Aang with a growing hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was he asking her not to go?

"I just really wish you would help," Aang added to the stricken look on her face.

She turned to Sokka, who was making faces at Zuko's turned attention.

"Sokka. What will you do?" she asked.

He stopped mid-grimace and shrugged, "I don't know. I guess it depends on what _he" _he gestured to Zuko, "has to offer me."

"I'm not offering you anything." He snapped in reply, "I never asked for your help, either."

Katara smirked, "Well, that settles it. His _highness _doesn't want any help, anyway."

"Zuko doesn't mean that…" Aang said, gesturing to Zuko with his eyes to surrender.

"Yea, he really means that he's begging us to help," Haru added.

Zuko groaned inwardly. This could take a long, long time.

xxx

Azula's team was doubling back, to find Ty Lee and Mai and check up on their progress. She was hoping, madly, that they'd found the avatar, or possibly her brother. Either face would be a welcome sight. For now, her uncle's would have to do.

Her captain came to her side, looking a little panicked.

He always looks panicked, Azula thought numbly.

"Princess, we've found them."

"Elaborate on who you've found, please," she replied icily.

"Mai and Ty Lee."

"And?"

"And… they were tied up."

"Well, tell them that there is nothing more important than giving me an update. I want to speak with them."

"I… I didn't mean busy, Princess. I meant they were tied up, with rope, to a tree."

xxx

"Now, everyone close their eyes-."

"This is stupid." Zuko growled.

"Zuko! Close your eyes!"

"Don't worry Aang," Katara said between the fingers covering her face, "Zuko's just afraid of the dark, that's all."

"Hey!"

"Stop it!" Aang shouted, banging his staff on the ground. "Now close your eyes, everyone!"

He waited for Zuko to finally, reluctantly, shut his eyes.

"Okay, now I want a show of hands, no peaking, who wants to go with me to help find Iroh?" Aang said as calmly as he could muster.

Haru raised his hand first, shooting it above his head like a five year old. Zuko shifted uncomfortably.

"Do I have to raise my hand?" he mumbled.

Sokka snorted. Aang whopped him on the end with his staff.

"Ow!"

"No, Zuko, you don't have to raise your hand. I already know you're going."

"Then why am I closing my eyes?"

"So you don't say anything stupid and mess this up, that's why."

Haru continued to wave his hand ecstatically into the air. Aang rolled his eyes and watched Katara and Sokka expectantly.

"Well?" Zuko snapped.

"Just wait," Aang said, watching Katara's hand twitch in her lap.

She held it up in a crooked half-wave. Sokka hadn't made a move however.

"Is Katara going?" Sokka asked, his eyes still squeezed shut.

"That's the reason you have your eyes closed! So you don't know!" Aang cried.

"Ugh. Fine." Sokka held his hand up.

"Okay, all hands down. Open your eyes," Aang beamed at them.

Zuko squirmed. He hated waiting.

"Well, everyone's going!" Aang cried triumphantly.

Sokka glared at Katara, "You're going?"

"Well, obviously you raised your hand too!" she barked in reply.

"Because I was trying to-."

"Okay, the voting's over. Let's eat lunch and split up-." Aang started.

"Split up?" Zuko asked. "What do you mean, 'split up'?"

"We'll find Iroh faster if we split into two groups. We'll throw in Appa to make it a fair split."

"So… how are we getting divided? Is this like a first-picked-first go thing?" Sokka asked, already reaching for Katara. There was no way he'd let that _fire_ prince be alone with his _sister_!

"No. The only way to make this a fair split is to do it randomly. Everyone writes their name on a piece of cloth, then I'll pick three for each team." Aang explained, tossing dried meat strips to the gang.

Zuko wrinkled his nose. "I don't need a team."

Aang tossed him some meat, and Sokka glared at it.

"That's my-." Sokka whined.

"See? Zuko doesn't want a team! So that means he can go one way, and the rest of us can go the other!" Katara said happily, taking a swig of water from her pouch.

Aang cast an eye over Zuko, "I'm sure that's not what he meant. Right, Zuko?"

Zuko was busy attacking the meat. He hadn't eaten in days.

He glanced up when he realized that all eyes were swiveled in his direction.

"What?" he asked around a mouthful.

"I said… you would like us to pick teams now." Aang bluffed, nonchalantly tossing more jerky to the prince.

Zuko caught it. "Fine." He answered gruffly, continuing to down the food as if it would disappear the minute he took his eyes from it.

Aang took a cloth from Appa's saddle.

"That's my fish cleaning rag!" Sokka complained, attempting to snatch it from Aang's fingers.

"And what fish have you ever cleaned with that?" Katara scoffed, "And what fish _will_ you clean?"

Sokka huffed and sat back on his haunches.

Aang handed a cloth strip to each of his comrades. "Everyone write their name with this…uh… piece of dirt."

"You can't write with dirt!" Sokka exclaimed.

"You can't." Zuko muttered, loud enough for only Sokka to hear.

"Hey!"

"Sokka, stop complaining." Aang said, attempting to smudge his own name onto a piece of cloth. "It's… not possible to write with dirt." Sokka huffed, "Okay, Haru can you find us some slate or something?"

Haru placed his palm to the ground, "Sure, but… couldn't we just pick teams?"

"No."

"Oh. Well…" he pulled his hand upward, bringing a stone up with it "Here's your slate, then."

He handed him a dark, pliable stone. Aang successfully wrote his name on the cloth.

The rest of the groupdearly wished he hadn't.

xxx

"Should we try and cure him, Princess?" the captain asked her as they looked over Iroh's graying form.

"I don't see why," she replied, pushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Don't you think the fire lord will want him alive?"

"I know what my father thinks!" she screamed, and straightened herself to glare into the captain's fear-struck eyes.

He gulped and nodded vigorously, "Oh, yes, of course, I only meant…" He trailed off, thinking with a strange calmness who among his team would take his place as captain.

Her eyes lost some of their ferocity as she took another glance at her uncle. "We won't cure him. If he dies now, it'll only save my father the burden of killing him later."

The captain nodded.

Azula turned to recline in her carriage once more, and she sneered over her shoulder. "Chide me once more, Captain, and I assure you, Iroh's condition will look like a petal in the breeze compared to the state you'll be in."

xxx

Aang had an air ball suspended between his two outstretched palms.

"Okay," he said, "Who wants to pick?"

"Oo!" Haru squealed, throwing his hand in the air, "I do!"

"Great! Go ahead Haru, just reach in and grab one,"

Katara groaned, and so did Zuko. She glared at him. He glared back.

Haru clutched a cloth. "Sokka."

"The next one will be on Sokka's team," Aang explained.

"Aang,"

Zuko wanted to be with the avatar; because he was the only one who didn't throw him suspicious looks every five seconds. But the thought of being with that insolent boy who called himself a warrior didn't sound so appealing, either.

"And… Appa,"

"NO!" several voices chorused.

"Hey!" Haru said happily, "That means it'll be me, Zuko, and Katara!"

Katara recoiled from the very thought. She looked to Aang; maybe he'd changed his mind.

"And Momo gets to pick who he'll be with."

The lemur leapt to Zuko's knee, who shoved the animal away with disgust.

"I don't want it," Zuko spat.

"Ha ha." Sokka grinned, "Zuko's afraid of a-."

"Great. So everyone's set." Aang said cheerfully. "Now we'll just pack up and set off… And stop giving me those looks guys! This is not a hard thing to do!"

Momo screeched from Zuko's shoulder.

"Momo's right." Sokka said, pointing, "I don't think this is a good idea at all. What if Mr. Flamehead over here decides to do something… Oh, I don't know. Zuko-ish. Like take off with Katara as a hostage or something."

"I can handle myself!" Katara snapped in reply.

"I'm not taking hostages, you idiot. I'm looking for my dying uncle, in case you don't remember." Zuko growled.

"This is going to be a lot of fun." Haru said merrily, oblivious to the hatred being flung across the camp..

xxx

A/N

So I saw Zuko alone, and I screamed and giggled and screamed a lot more. It was absolutely fantastic! I don't think I'm going to slip anything from that episode into this, but I may be considering another fic. I just have to finish this one first.

The Zutara content is getting closer, can you tell?


	10. Chapter 10

A/N

I'm getting a lot of reviews, and I thank all who take the time to do so. I also received my first constructive criticism, which I was also ecstatic to receive. I plan to use it in this next chapter: Katara will be nicer (cuz she really isn't that mean in the show), and the seriousness will be induced. That last chapter will be the last one with chuckles for awhile, that is, if you chuckled at all.

Bon appetite.

xxx

Sokka looked Zuko up and down once more. He wasn't sure he approved of the swords hanging from the prince's side, but he was very sure there was nothing he could do to change that fact.

"So, let's get this straight," Sokka said, puffing himself importantly, "There are rules to this 'group' thing."

"I've heard this somewhere before…" Zuko muttered sarcastically.

"Good. Then what's rule number one?" Sokka quizzed.

Zuko rolled his eyes. How much longer until he could part with this oaf?

"Rule number one. Don't touch Katara."

"Number two?"

"Don't fight Katara."

"Number three?"

"Don't kidnap Katara. Look, can I go now? I have things to do."

Sokka raised an eyebrow and stared up at Zuko. "How important are these things that you can't-."

"Okay, Sokka, ready to go?" Aang called.

"That's your queue." Zuko ushered Sokka away.

Sokka scowled at him one more time and then rushed away to embrace Katara.

"I can handle this, you know." Katara whispered to her brother.

"I don't trust him." Sokka murmured back. "What if-."

"You could spend all day on what if's. Just go, I'll be fine. I've dealt with a lot worse."

Aang came to their sides. "So I guess this is it."

They all exchanged glances. It had been many months since either of them had been apart for too long.

"It won't be that long," Katara said assuringly, more to herself than to them.

"Yeah. And then we can go back to the way things were!" Aang replied cheerfully.

"Mhm. As if things were normal to begin with." Sokka scoffed.

Aang smiled sympathetically, "Well…not really, but I mean, it'll be…"

The gang glanced over their shoulders at Zuko, who was watching Haru balance on one leg with evident irritation.

"It won't be that long," Katara repeated hopelessly.

xxx

"And guess what I said next!"

"Erm…" Katara looked at Zuko for help, but he was clearly relieved to have someone else around to lend an ear to Haru. "You said… 'good'?"

"No! I said 'bad', and then he said that I was crazy! Am I crazy?"

"Yes," Zuko replied gravely.

"Oh," Haru said, disappointed.

Zuko shifted his pack and led on. He was at the front, and Haru and Katara were side by side behind him.

"I know! Why don't we play a game?" Katara suggested.

"A… game?" Zuko asked, spitting the word as if it was venom.

"Yes! One of us will say a word, and the next person has to say whatever they think of first. I'll go first, then Haru, then Zuko. Okay… how about…bison."

"Appa."

"Avatar." Zuko replied reluctantly. He scanned the tree line along the road, hoping to find his uncle as soon as possible. He didn't know how much longer he could stand these people.

"Aang."

"Air nomads."

Zuko paused. He knew what he should say: fire. Stories were told to children to usher them to sleep in the fire nation, stories of the great defeat of the air nomads. Their lavish burning temples had lit the skies like the sun itself. The entire people had been wiped out without so much as a blink of an eye from the fire lord. It was a glorious memory for the fire nation.

Zuko bit his cheek. Don't say it, he thought, just don't say anything.

"Come on, Zuko, what do you think of?" Katara prodded.

"I don't know."

"Isn't there something?" Haru asked.

Zuko's gaze was glued to the ground. "No."

"Come-." Haru started to urge him, but Katara elbowed him in the ribs. She shook her head fiercely.

"Let's start again." She offered, "I'm thinking of… mangos."

"Fruit."

"Food." Zuko muttered, and clutched his own stomach. That meat just had not been enough to satisfy him.

"Seal jerky."

"Um… weird?"

"Haru." Zuko grinned.

Katara hid a giggle, "Earth bender."

"My dad."

Katara grimaced and shook her head again at Haru, who didn't notice.

"My father," Zuko answered numbly.

Katara couldn't help but to feel anger bubble at the thought of Lord Ozai. "Destruction." She said icily.

Zuko could feel the terseness in the air behind him. He wished this game would stop before it got too far out of control.

"Omashu." Haru whispered.

"Azula."

"Who's Azula?" Haru asked. Katara would have asked the same thing, but she was still hung up on the fact that the world was plunged into a life-wrenching war caused by Zuko's own father.

"She's my sister, and I think you've met her before?" he glanced behind him to Katara.

She shrugged, "Evil girl with fire nation clothes and blue fire?"

"That would be Azula."

"And the other two? The ones we just fought?" she asked.

"Ty Lee and Mai, her two friends."

"I don't like this game." Haru said glumly.

"Me neither, to be honest," Katara answered.

"What do you usually do when you travel?" Zuko asked Katara.

"With Aang and Sokka? We tell stories and just… talk. What do you do?"

"I used to train, but anymore, Uncle and I are just… quiet."

"I like to sing songs and make up poems!" Haru chimed.

"That's great." Katara said to him, then turned back to Zuko, "What happened to your ship? Why are you running from the fire nation now?"

Katara had thought she'd pressed too hard when Zuko bowed his head and didn't answer, but he finally sighed and said, "Well, Zhao commandeered my ship and crew to take over the North Pole. Then he tried to have me killed."

"Why?"

Zuko shifted his shoulders. "Because I did something I shouldn't have done a long time ago, and he found about it. You remember the pirates?"

Katara dropped her gaze, even though he couldn't see, "Yes, I remember."

"He employed them to blow up my ship while my uncle was away. Uncle went undercover as Zhao's new general, and I snuck as a stowaway onto his ship. That's when I… caught up with you."

"What happened then?" Haru asked, his curiosity fully peaked.

Zuko looked over his shoulder again at Katara. "I captured the avatar."

"You did?" Haru gasped.

"Yea, he did." Katara scowled.

xxx

They sprinted. Ty Lee peered over her shoulder, only to find Mai and the other soldiers running just a tad slower than she was.

"Let's go!" Mai screamed.

"Don't yell!" Ty Lee bellowed back, "She'll hear us!"

Mai threw her a look.

They'd been attempting to shrug off their bonds at the waterfall when one of Azula's soldiers had stumbled across them. He'd taken one curious look, and then bolted in the direction he'd just come from, presumably to tell the princess that he'd found her comrades without the avatar.

In a rush, they had cut themselves free and fled to escape Azula's wrath. If they caught the avatar before she found them, then they would be free of any punishment she might inflict upon them.

"She's gonna kill us…" Ty Lee muttered to Mai as they barreled along the path.

"Why do you think we're running?" she snapped in reply.

xxx

A/N

A little short, I realize. However, the next one is going to be long, so I thought this would be a good stopping point.

Would anyone be interested in illustrating any scenes from this? Or even icons would be welcomed. Email me if you'd be interested.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N

Confession: I have only watched "Zuko Alone" once. I've tried to watch it several times, but I just get fidgety and I start to wonder how this is gonna affect my fic and maybe I'll see something I didn't see before and it'll be really bad. I don't know why, but I'm scared to watch it again. Although, I've got about forty screen captures that I drool over (**I love Zuko's hair**!).

Some of you will be happy to note that I have added in some nice Katara to Zuko comments and some Haru jealously. These upcoming chapters are going to scream ZUTARA!

Xxx

"Do you think that they're okay?" Sokka asked again, rubbing a scratch in his boomerang with his fingertip. "Zuko seemed kind of anxious to get out of there."

"Yes, Sokka, they're fine. And he was anxious because his uncle is _dying_." Aang replied from his position on Appa's head. "Are you even looking for Iroh?"

Sokka glanced up briefly, checking to see if any old man's feet were sticking from the forest's shadows.

"Yea," he answered, "I'm looking."

"Listen, I know you don't like him-."

"Yea."

"And I know you think he's just out to hurt people-."

"Yea!"

"But he's a decent person."

"He's a fire bender, Aang. Fire bender." Sokka shook his head, "You wouldn't understand. You've never been attacked by them. You've never had your family ripped apart just so a stupid man can win a war." Sokka threw his boomerang in frustration, and it flopped haphazardly a few feet away.

"I was at the North Pole. I saw what they did to Gyatso. I know what they do," Aang answered sympathetically.

"No, you don't, Aang. I'm sorry, but you just don't know."

Aang frowned, but continued to search for the fire bender that was currently in Azula's possession.

Xxx

"This is the tree?" Azula asked the soldier.

They stood at the waterfall base, with a pile of rope in place of a pile of fire nation soldiers.

The man nodded, "The very one, Princess."

"And why is it that you did not untie them?" she asked, stepping closer to him. He cowered.

"I… I was afraid that I might get captured as well. Then I wouldn't be able to warn you."

"That's a poor excuse. However, the beginning part was correct. You were afraid. You don't deserve to wear that uniform."

She circled the tree. "They cut themselves free. Maybe they have a lead."

The captain was studying the ground. "I believe there was a water bender here, Princess Azula. There's too much water on the ground for it to be just splashes."

She stopped walking away and doubled back to examine his findings. "You're right. This is pathetic. They were detained by a water bender. How embarrassing."

Xxx

"Does any of this look familiar?" Katara asked Zuko tiredly.

Zuko shook his head. "I think this is too far south."

"So we need to go back?" Haru asked.

Zuko stopped and took the pack off of his shoulders. He looked around him. "I don't know."

Katara mopped her forehead with her sleeve. The sun was blazing too hot for any ice dweller. "Well, we can't just keep going on like this forever. If you haven't been through here before, then we should go back."

Momo landed onto Katara's shoulder. He'd been hovering over them, dashing in and out of the surrounding woods to search for fruit. He handed her a partially eaten acorn.

She took it from him and pocketed it. "Maybe we should send Momo to get Aang and Appa. That way we don't waste time walking."

"I think-." Haru started, but Zuko held up a hand to stop him.

"Listen," he instructed.

Even Momo paused his chatter to listen with them.

At first, all that was heard was a hot breeze that rattled the leaves of the trees and stirred up the dead foliage at the forest floor. But then, not too far in the distance, there was a pounding.

"It sounds like…" Katara drifted off, still mesmerized.

"It's marching." Zuko stated, then his eyes widened. "Run!"

Xxx

"How…much longer… should we run?" Ty Lee panted.

Mai gasped and clutched her side. "I… don't... know…"

"I suggest we keep going," a soldier said from behind them.

"And why… is that?" Ty Lee wheezed.

The man pointed down the hill of the road in front of them. "Because I believe we just found some of our targets."

Xxx

"Keep going!" Zuko bellowed.

Katara struggled to keep up with them. "I'm trying…" she gasped.

Haru glanced back at her. "Katara, if we don't make it, we'll never be able to win in a fight against them!"

"We can't… run forever!" she reasoned.

"We're not just going to stop!" Zuko countered. "Come on, keep up the pace. They're gaining!"

"I…I can't make it!" Katara's entire body was split in pain. Every step threatened to bring her crashing to meet a most certain death. She turned to gauge the distance between the enemies and themselves.

Just as she craned her neck to see, her foot connected with a rebellious patch of root in the road.

She tripped and fell on her face, the dust swirling around her.

"No," Katara muttered, as it was the only clear thought she had.

She struggled, panicked, to peel herself from the ground and keep running. She pulled her leg under her to push herself up, but it gave out and she collapsed again in the dust.

Xxx

"One down." Mai said, adjusting the arrows strapped to her arms.  
Ty Lee smiled through the pain of running, "We… didn't even… have to do….anything!"

Mai smirked back, briefly. She had the feeling like these people were not the people that Azula was looking for.

The girl on the ground was not a target, and she'd just be killed if she got in the way. The boy in green was definitely not Zuko, Mai decided. But the other boy…

Mai gasped.

The black-haired boy spun back around to help the girl up, and Mai was close enough to view the furious red scar that darkened the left side of his face.

"Zuko," Ty Lee acknowledged.

Mai quickened her speed. There was no way that she was going to let Zuko slip through her fingers.

Xxx

Zuko stooped and caught Katara's arm. "Get up!"

She latched onto the arm he offered. "I'm sorry," she exclaimed.

Zuko kept one eye on the advancing group, "Be sorry when we're dead. Come on. I'll carry you."

Katara was too exhausted and panic-struck to worry about the offer he had just given her.

Xxx

Who was that girl, anyway? Mai thought, anger bubbling as Zuko helped her from the ground.

"When I said… it'd be… good to see Zuko… again," Ty Lee said to Mai, "I didn't… think… this… would be… the-."

"I know," Mai snapped.

Zuko pulled the girl onto his back, piggy-back style, and the pair took off.

Pair…Mai thought loathingly.

"She just… got in the way," Mai growled, and took aim at the girl.

Xxx

"You know, I don't think this is gonna work for very much longer," Haru said conversationally.

He wasn't particularly fond of the fact that he was carrying two packs; one was Zuko's, so that Zuko could carry Katara. Haru frowned to himself. He could've carried her… He pushed his jealously away to think about later

Katara wrapped her arms tighter around Zuko's neck, "Well, it's a little late for a plan now," she answered weakly.

Zuko shifted Katara's weight. She really was lighter than he expected.

Don't think. Just run. He instructed himself.

Katara looked behind her to watch with increasing dread as their attackers advanced. The girl with the arrows lifted her arm. Katara realized almost too late what she was doing. In the few seconds her senses allowed her, she pulled herself from Zuko, and him down with her.

She hit the ground and the breath went out of her. Zuko landed on top her, and he would've shouted at her, but he was still too shocked to grasp what had happened.

"What-." He snarled, then saw the black ebony arrow piercing the ground where they had just been sprinting.

Katara wriggled underneath him, gasping like a fish out of water. Zuko rolled off of her, watching her with a mixture of disbelief and admiration.

Haru stopped running and hurried over to them.

"You know, I don't think we have to run. I have an idea." Haru said, rushing to Katara's side to help her regain her breath.

"You have an idea?" Zuko cringed and fought his own exhaustion to get on his feet.

Katara leaned onto Haru and grabbed Zuko's sleeve with her other arm to get herself up. "Well, quick, Haru! Do something!" she panted.

Xxx

"Ugh. Missed." Mai growled.

"It was well-aimed." Ty Lee attempted to cheer her. "Now what are they doing?"

The green-clad boy pulled the other two further into the middle of the road. He faced the their oncoming party.

Mai wrinkled her brow. "Is… he…. a-."

Before she could guess, he pulled his arms above his head moving them in a great circular motion. The entire ground they were standing trembled, then fell into the earth.

Ty Lee tripped in her astonishment.

"No!" Mai shrieked. She rushed to the gaping hole in the ground, but no sooner had she stumbled to its lip did it seal up.

She pounded her fist onto the now solid ground.

Ty Lee pointed to it, "Men, dig them out!"

"We lost him." Mai growled, disbelievingly, "We lost him. And Azula will be here any moment."

Xxx

"What are your orders, Princess?"

Azula looked her uncle over again. She wanted to stop lugging him around like a two hundred and fifty pound bag of feed. At least feed could be eaten. He was useless at the moment.

She turned her attention back to Mai and Ty Lee's footprints in the mud. Her lip curled in disgust.

"I didn't bring them along to chase after them. If they have a lead, they'll follow it. We'll go the other way, in case we need to head off any other targets." Azula replied.

Xxx

Aang looked overhead at the ominous clouds gradually pushing the sunlight behind them and enclosing the world below in darkness.

"I think it's gonna rain," Aang said to Sokka, now leaning in the back of the saddle.

"Then we should stop and nap somewhere."

"No, Sokka," Aang said sternly, "Then that would mean leaving Iroh in the rain."

"Mhm. Maybe that's the point."

Xxx

Katara's head was reeling. She held a palm to her forehead, anything to make the throbbing stop. She felt like she'd just fallen six feet under…

"You guys just can't take a cave-in, can you?" Haru's voice drifted from somewhere near her.

Momo screeched from the midst of the black. Katara could hear him chortle and rustle around.

She reached out with her other hand and grazed something solid. Wall.

She spun in the other direction. Nothing. She crawled in the direction of nothingness on her hands and knees.

She paused her scurrying. "Where's-."

At that precise moment, Zuko held up a flamed hand.

They were almost touching noses.

His amber eyes widened. She shrieked.

"Stop screaming," Haru urged, looking towards the cave ceiling, "You'll ruin my plan."

Zuko and Katara stumbled away from each other, still mortified that they had been in such close contact.

Haru sighed. Katara had barely paid attention to him since he'd met up with her. All she talked about was Zuko. All she looked at was Zuko. All she wanted to do was fight Zuko. Haru had waited for so long to see Katara and all she could do was gawk at the scarred boy.

"Does anyone want to hear my plan?" Haru pressed, stepping toward Katara.

Her gaze flickered from Zuko to Haru. "Your plan?"

"More than this?" Zuko snarled, standing up and bumping his head on the low ceiling.

Haru smirked, "Oh, sorry."

He pushed his palms to the ground. They sank a few more inches.

Zuko pulled himself to his full height slowly. Then he rounded on Haru again, "I hope your other plan is better than this."

"We're not in harm's way, are we?" Katara snapped at him, still curled on the ground.

Haru frowned. She talked to him _again_.

"Well, actually, I made this up while you guys were… piggybacking…"

"That was-." Zuko started. Katara turned to hide her encroaching blush.

"Anyway, here's my plan: I'm going to make a tunnel in that direction, away from here. They" Haru gestured to the surface, "will feel for the vibrations and follow me. So they'll think that we think we're fooling them."

"You think you're going to trick them into thinking that we're thinking we've got them thinking we're going to move without them noticing?" Zuko asked, his head throbbing from talking like an idiot and from falling into the earth.

Katara frowned, "And once you've led them away…"

"I'll make a pit, which they'll fall into. Then, I'll come back for you two."

"Wait… So, you expect us to wait in here?" Zuko asked, pointing around the cavern and making the shadows leap on the walls from tossing his fist around.

"Alone?" Katara whimpered.

Haru considered rethinking his plan. He didn't want to leave her alone with him. He nodded finally. "Yes. It'll only be for awhile. Maybe you two won't kill each other in that time."

Xxx

A/N

Squee! Like I told my friend earlier, I've just dipped this fic in a hint of zutara, and it'll only get spicier from here! BAM! I feel like Emril.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N

I piddled until midnight Saturday… Then I thought I'd go to sleep…

Then I reread my reviews, saw a lot of Zutara shippers… Did a little more fanart browsing and I found a really inspiring one… And I decided that two thirty in the morning isn't THAT bad, and by four in the morning I might as well just not sleep at all. Ah, the things I'll do for my plots and muses.

We'll see how this goes… And currently I'm fascinated with these (…) things, and currently I just forgot what they're called…

xxx

Haru pushed clod of dirt after stone after clod of dirt away. For ages he toiled, his muscles straining from such drudgery. Further and further he pressed into the ground, wondering numbly if any of his efforts were even making a difference.

He paused, studying the ground above him. He heard rushing feet and a slight brush of steel.

"Well," He muttered, "They're following me, I guess."

He glanced behind him, towards Zuko and Katara's cavern. All he could make out now was a pinprick of light in the distance.

He hated leaving her with him. He didn't fear for Katara's safety; she could take Zuko down on any given day. Haru was concerned about what Katara was thinking.

He pulled himself from his own thoughts and pushed on, shifting earth aside. The sooner he could get his tunnel long enough, the sooner he could continue attempting to woo Katara…

xxx

The rumbling underground paused. Mai attacked the ground with her sword, her feet, and finally threw her entire body onto the ground, tearing at the land with long, tapered fingernails.

"You can't hide forever!" She growled.

Ty Lee glanced around at the other soldiers. This was getting a little out of hand.

"Mai…" she said gently, stepping closer to her friend's shoulder. "Maybe we should wait for them to come out… They can't stay underground for too much longer."

Mai's eyes flashed angrily as she focused back on Ty Lee. "I refuse to lose him again. I will turn him in to Azula."

xxx

_Aunt Wu's grey bun shook lightly when she laughed, distorting the light that was shining in from the window in her room. _

_She took Katara's hand and turned it over, commenting on their texture. _

_Katara replied conversationally that she used a seaweed lotion. She brushed the small talk aside._

"_So, do you see anything interesting in my love line?" Katara pressed._

"_I see a great romance for you. A man you're going to marry."_

"_Tell me more!"_

"_I can see that he is a very powerful bender."_

"Get off of me, you dumb animal!"

Katara jerked awake at the sound of Zuko's voice across the cavern.

"What now?" she mumbled.

Zuko was attempting to pry the lemur from his arm. "This thing! Get it off!"

"So much for being a powerful bender," Katara said without thinking.

Powerful… bender?

Her heart practically stopped beating and she stared painfully at the pale teenager now flinging his arm in wider and wider circles.

"Get it OFF!" Zuko yelled. He gave his arm one final shake, and Momo leapt from his arm and bounded to Katara's lap.

Zuko's gaze followed it, then he caught the horrified expression on Katara's face.

"Why are looking at me like that?" he snapped, narrowing his eyes.

There are other 'powerful' benders in the world, Katara thought to comfort herself. He didn't have to be 'the one'.

"I'm… just surprised that… you… don't like Momo."

Zuko made a dismissive sound and gestured to the creature now bathing himself, "Look at that! How could you like that?"

Katara shrugged and occupied her eyes with watching the creamy brown fur of the lemur on her lap.

Aang's pet.

Katara squeezed her eyes shut. She wished she'd never met Madame Wu. She didn't know who was better: Zuko or Aang.

"How many benders do you know?" Katara asked suddenly.

Zuko paused sifting through Haru's pack. "Hundreds."

"Oh." She watched him take out a lump of biscuit and taste it cautiously. "But how many of them are… well… How many would you say are 'powerful'?"

Zuko shoved the biscuit in his mouth, not trying to conceal the fact that it was twice as large. He shrugged.

"Sefenth."

"Seventy?"

"Sefenth!"

"Oh. Seven. Is that all? Who are they?"

Zuko coughed, failing to dislodge the sticky mass now glued in his chest. He looked wildly around for something to down it with.

Katara noticed his eyes begin to water. "What? Are they dead?"

Zuko shook his head violently and pounded his chest with a closed fist.

"They're… manly? I'm not very good at this. Just tell me who they are."

Zuko clutched his throat.

She finally realized and threw her water pouch at him. "Here!"

Zuko guzzled it down, and Katara watched with increasing alarm as it diminished.

"No… Don't do-." She cried, reaching out as if to stop him.

He pulled it away and gasped.

She watched every drop of water fall.

He recapped the pouch and tossed it back. "Thanks."

She shook it. A little less than a third left, barely enough to give a minnow breath.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know I can't bend without this!"

"You gave it to me."

"You tricked me! You probably weren't even choking!" She stood up, grabbing her pack as she rushed into the darkened tunnel.

Zuko rose with her. "Where are you going?"

"I won't stay here with you. I'm defenseless." She put one hand on the wall to guide her. It wasn't long before she felt him behind her. "Go away," she hissed.

"You know if you go down there that you could get hurt." His voice was soft.

She brushed it away. "No. Don't talk to me."

"He doesn't know you're coming, and if you come up behind him, he could unintentionally hit you." His voice was smooth and sincere, as if he actually cared.

She'd heard that tone before. He'd tried to lull her into telling him where Aang was. He offered her Sokka's safety and her own necklace.

She clutched it out of habit.

"Don't go down there," Zuko pleaded.

"Shut up!" Katara screamed, whirling in the darkness where she supposed he was standing. "Aang was _wrong_! You are not trustworthy! You're just a-."

"Look! If you don't stop screaming, we'll all become sitting turtleducks down here. Now, hold out your hand."

"No." Katara backed away.

"Hey," Zuko held a fist into the air, "Run all you want. I have fire at my disposal. Come here or I will find you."

"Oh… Am I supposed to be afraid?" Katara barked sarcastically. She tensed, preparing to bolt.

He didn't answer.

"Zuko!" She called, and still received no reply.

She put her back to the wall, trying to keep her panic from turning her legs to mush. The darkness and dust pressed down on her, and she could swear she felt her heart bursting through her chest.

She inched her way along the wall, praying to here the distant rumbling of stone to stop and for Haru to come to her rescue.

She paused. She hated playing the damsel in distress.

"If you want to get me, here I am, Zuko!" she bellowed, extending her arms in a welcoming gesture.

She waited. Still, hardly a sound was made except her own quickened breathing and Haru's distant proof of his progress.

In one smooth motion, Zuko latched onto her wrist, clamped a hot, dry hand to her mouth, and caused a ripple of flame to illuminate his calm face for a brief moment.

"You feel so defenseless?" he asked, then released her and pressed something long and metallic into her hand. "Then here."

She ran a cautious hand down his swords' cold sheath. "What?"

"Take them. If you feel that strongly about not trusting me, then take the swords."

"I don't know how to use these!" she exclaimed, and searched the darkness in front of her, wishing she could read his expression.

She heard him sigh. "Then come back to the cave and I will teach you."

Katara clutched the swords to her chest, their weight acting as an anchor to any safety she might have a chance at obtaining.

"I don't trust you," she cried.

"So I've heard. Are you coming or not?"

'_But you trust me, don't you?' Aang said. _

Katara bit her lip. "Yes," she answered reluctantly, "I'm coming."

xxx

"Aang?"

Aang tore his gaze yet again from the tree line to glare at Sokka.

"What?"

"Do you ever get the feeling like you're being watched?"

"I don't know. Why? Do you have that feeling now?"

Sokka shrugged, gazing up to look at the sky opposite the setting sun. "Sometimes I wish I did."

Aang followed his line of sight until he caught the object of his attention: the moon.

"She is watching over you, Sokka."

The other boy didn't reply, but nodded and refocused on the ground. The pair was silent for awhile afterward.

"Aang?"

Aang gave up searching and pulled Appa to a stop. "Yea, Sokka?"

"Do you see people in the spirit world?"

"Well… I saw Roku and Hai Bei, but I never saw any other person I knew, though."

"Do you think it's possible?"

Aang shrugged, not wanting to give him any false hopes.

"Oh." Sokka dropped his pack next to Appa's lying form. "And can you think of any reason there would be an ostrich horse tied to a tree in the middle of nowhere?"

"Huh?"

Sokka pointed to the bird at the side of the road, sleeping with one leg curled limply. They moved closer to inspect it.

"I don't see anyone it could belong to," Sokka said, examining the woods around it.

Aang stuck his face into a half-empty pot settled on top of a bed of ash. He took a sniff, trying to figure out what the traveler had been cooking.

"It's tea," Aang puzzled, "And it's a lot of tea…"

Sokka dipped two fingers into it to taste it, he grimaced upon finding out. "Ugh. This stuff is awful! And it smells like those leaves Zuko had in his pack."

They exchanged shocked looks.

"This was Iroh's tea!" Aang exclaimed.

"But he's not here…"

Aang pulled Sokka to Appa. "He's been taken. Someone's picked him up. We need to find the others now."

"We're not flying!"

"No. We won't fly, but we need get to them as fast as possible. Let's go Appa!"

xxx

A/N

I duck my head in shame at the clichéd Zutara here. Same ol' same ol'. I apologize; I gave in to my own fangirl desires.

That was CRAZY. But I'm going with it for now. I may change it later. For now, Haru will continue his wild jealously, Zuko will be smooth 3, and Katara will be caught like Dorothy in her Kansas storm.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N

Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! And for those of you who have requested things, I hope I have delivered!

I also redid that weird part in the last chapter, and I will be fixing some stuff in the earlier chapters that I overlooked in my excitement. I'll let you know when I make these changes.

It's been kind of hard for me to get started on this chapter. This chapter has to be PERFECT. Thirteen is one) my lucky number, two) the same number of the episode of "The Blue Spirit" so I have a lot to live up to, and three) this is gonna have a lot of the action that this story has led up to, so it's gonna have to be a great one. It's not the last, however. It'll be awhile before I reach the end, and even then, I may not be finished. :P

xxx

"Can't Appa go any faster? I'm walking quicker than that! And he's got six legs!" Sokka whined.

"Appa's tired!" Aang snapped back. "Why don't you try lugging this saddle around all day without stopping, and we'll see how you do."

Sokka grumbled and kept his eyes glued to the ground before him. He watched Appa's old footprints fly underneath him, huge round pads.

"Aang… Those tracks are pretty noticeable."

"Is this a ploy to get me to fly? I thought you were the one who didn't want to fly in the first place."

Sokka stopped and knelt to the ground. "And these prints… these are fresher than Appa's… They overlap Appa's. But… we didn't pass whoever made them."

"So what's that mean?"

Sokka followed a heavy pair of tracks down the lane a little farther. Suddenly they veered left, off of the road.

"Straight into the thicket…" Sokka mused, tracing the boot line with his thumb. "I wonder why…"

Dread seized his heart and refused to let go its icy grip. He spun around to his friend to warn him.

"Aang! Get out of here! It's a-."

A solid fist hit the back of his head before he could say anymore. Sokka slumped to the ground.

xxx

"We're getting closer. The rumblings are slowing down now." Mai said aloud, her gaze wandering into the sky with disinterest.

"Maybe they think we've lost them." Ty Lee answered, skipping slightly as she and her companions felt their way along the road.

Mai sighed, "With our luck, they're probably just trying to bore us to death."

"Let's sing a song!" Ty Lee offered.

"Uhn… No…"

xxx

Katara was alone now; she was sure. The darkness that pressed around her was too empty, too quiet. She held an empty palm to the space around her and waited for Zuko to run into it. Nothing came. She clutched the swords to her chest, unsure of what to do with them. She'd never even considered wielding any other weapon. Either she had her bending, or she had Sokka.

And she definitely didn't want for Zuko to teach her…

She couldn't even imagine him doing anything like that. For him to be kind… that was like Sokka's appetite being satisfied.

A light down the tunnel appeared, a tiny flame. Katara took a breath. He gave her his swords; now it was her turn to be altruistic. She walked back to the cavern, with Haru's distant noise setting her pace.

Zuko was slumped against his wall again, staring into the middle of the cavern, where he'd stoked a small fire with roots he'd pulled from the wall. He glanced at her as she entered, still with his swords in hand.

She hesitated. Why did everything about him have to be so awkward?

"Here," she muttered, handing him his weapons back, "I don't need them."

He took them back gingerly, in case she may change her mind. "You're sure?"

"Yes." She sighed. "If you were stupid enough to do anything to me, you would've done it a long time ago."

She settled on the opposite wall, staring at her idle hands.

"I'm sorry." Zuko said. "I didn't mean to… drink it all."

"It's okay." Her jaw dropped in shock, "Did you just apologize?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't read anything into it."

A smile found its way to Katara's lips and lingered there. Zuko couldn't help but to grin slightly himself.

"You choked on a biscuit." She giggled.

"I was hungry." He retorted, laughing faintly.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Momo curled up into Haru's pack and folded his ears back over his head.

"So you wanted to know what benders I knew?" Zuko prompted. Silence allowed time for him to think about what he was doing. For now, he could pretend he was with Aang's group to get his uncle back, but later, he wasn't sure how he would justify this act.

"Yes." Katara answered, "You said seven."

"You won't know all of them."

"Well… Just tell me anyway. I'm curious."

"I'll start with ones you know. The avatar, for one."

She nodded in agreement. "He's amazing."

"Is that… admiration for his bending or…"

"Or what?" Katara snapped, flushing.

Zuko smirked. "Never mind. My uncle is another. He doesn't bend much anymore, but that's also because he doesn't have to. He doesn't have as much passion for bending as he used to, not after he lost his son."

"His son? You had a cousin?"

Zuko nodded, plunging his amber gaze into the flames he'd set. "Lu ten. He and I were… We…"

"You were close?"

He nodded. "He was killed in the battle to win Ba Seng Se. Uncle was never the same after that. Lu ten is number three on that list. He was a very powerful bender."

"I'm sorry. You must miss him." Katara whispered sympathetically.

"That was a long time ago." Zuko looked back up into her eyes. "Anyway, you've heard of this next man. Can you guess?"

"Um… Not really, no. You and I don't exactly know the same people…"

"My father."

"Oh. Yeah, I've heard of him." She said bitterly.

"What about General Jeong Jeong?" Zuko asked, his lip curling at the mere thought of the man.

"Jeong Jeong! We've met him before! Aang tried to learn fire bending from him, but-."

"Wait," Zuko sat forward, his eyes glowing angrily, "You've met him? How?"

"It was a bit after you, uh, 'visited' us at the abbey." She waited to see is reaction. He was still listening with a dead-set face of fury. "We came to a fire nation town within the Earth Kingdom. Aang was hoping to find a teacher there, but we made a scene and they found out who he was, and they chased us, and we met a man named Chey."

"Chey?"

"Do you know him too?"

"No. But I already don't like him. Go on."

"So he rescues us and takes us to the man he follows, called 'the Deserter.'"

"The Deserter? That's dumb."

"Are you going to listen or interject?"

"Keep going."

"So, the Deserter. Chey said he was once part of the fire nation army. A general in the fire nation army."

"I know that. What about Jeong Jeong?"

"Stop interrupting!"

"Stop telling me things I already or don't want to know!"

"You're impossible."

"Listen… It's imperative that I hear this, okay? So just… tell the story."

"Fine. Chey took us to Jeong Jeong, but he said he wouldn't teach Aang. He said he needed to master water bending and earth bending first. Aang went to talk to him personally, and somehow he convinced him."

"He taught him?"

"Sort of… Aang said all he taught him was stances and breathing."

"Then what happened?"

"Zhao showed up."

"Zhao? His old student?"

Katara shrugged. "I guess. Aang and Zhao fought."

"Aang won?"

She grinned. "Naturally. But Jeong Jeong disappeared."

"He always was a coward."

"Coward? Why do you say that? How do you know him?"

"He was a horrible man."

"He was kind to us, and there were many others that lived with him too." Katara pointed out.

"You don't know him! He was a traitor to his own men! He was going to sacrifice an entire division of new recruits for a battle! What kind of 'kind man' does that to his own people?" Zuko yelled, his entire body shaking with rage.

The fire plume rose threateningly.

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

Zuko settled back, trying to calm himself. "Nothing. Forget it."

"Zuko…" Katara stood up and kneeled as close to him as she dared. "Is he the one who…" she touched her own left eye. "Did that to you?"

He shook his head, his jaw clenched. "No. He didn't do it."

Katara sat down, expressing the fact that she wasn't moving until he told her what had happened.

He turned to glare at her for a few moments, then gave up. "Fine. If you really want to know…

"It was my first time in my father's war chamber. Uncle told me I could come, so long as I was quiet… I've never been very skilled at holding my tongue. Jeong Jeong was proposing a plot to lure the Earth Kingdom soldiers away. He said that we could sacrifice one division, they were newly recruited. They knew nothing of fighting or battle yet, and they would never know anything of it either. I spoke out against him. I told him it was wrong."

"You were right."

"No one else thought so. My father decided that I had to learn from my mistake. He wouldn't let me make a 'mockery' of his court."

Zuko fell silent, his mind too full of pain to continue. Katara put a hand on his arm.

"He banished you for that?"

"Yes," Zuko fumbled with his sleeve. "But that's not all he did… I've never told anyone this. Everyone either knew or didn't think to ask…"

"If you really don't want to tell me, I understand." Katara said softly.

"No, I want to tell you." Zuko said firmly. "I was challenged to an Agni Kai. I thought it would be with Jeong Jeong."

"That would make sense."

"But that's not who it was with… I went out there ready to fight an old general. I expected to beat him easily, I was that naïve. I still have nightmares about who was I turned around to see…" He shook his head disbelievingly. "My father challenged me."

Katara gasped. "Your father? He fought you?"

"No. I refused, and for that he scarred me. He called me a coward. I was dragged away to my chamber. Later that evening he had a servant come and tell me that I was to be banished, and that I could have one ship and three hours to get out of the fire nation."

"I never knew… This is horrible… So, the only way you could come back was if you caught Aang?"

"Apparently."

Katara slumped against the wall next to him, stunned into silence.

"Thanks for listening." Zuko muttered.

"Don't thank me." Katara replied, and hugged herself. "I thought I had it bad. I lost my mom, my village is in shambles, my father left for war, and on top of that, I couldn't find a master until Aang showed up and took me to one. None of that even compares… I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you feel worse."

"There is no tragedy worse than another. They are all equally awful." Zuko replied. "Uncle told me that after we left the healer's house."

"Healer?"

"Long story. Uncle ate a bad plant. We went to the healer's house."

"Oh."

"I've told you five powerful benders. You still want to know the other two?"

Katara shrugged, still disheartened by Zuko's past.

"One is my sister. As much as I hate to admit it; she is powerful. She's naturally gifted. Nothing's ever hard for her." Zuko turned to look at Katara, his expression somewhat bemused. "The other is a girl as well. You want to try and guess?"

"Was your mom a bender?"

"No."

Katara shrugged and tore her gaze from the fire to return his stare.

"You caught me by surprise at the North Pole, you know. I didn't expect you to be that good." Zuko said with a shake of his head.

"Wait. You're saying…"

"You're the seventh powerful bender I know, Katara."

xxx

"Some warrior you are. You couldn't track a troop of soldiers before they hit you. Ha!" Azula scorned and stepped over Sokka's groaning body.

Aang leapt to his feet "Leave him alone. I'm the one you want."

She motioned for her guards to pick up the water tribe boy. "Actually, leaving him alone is the last thing I want to do."

"Aang…" Sokka groaned from his place strung between the two soldiers. "Run."

"Yes, Avatar." Azula said mockingly. "Run. We'll see what happens to your friend here."

Aang dropped to the ground and held his staff out to Azula. "No. Don't hurt him. I'll go with you peacefully."

"Yes. You will." Azula stepped toward the boy and took his staff.

"Let me guess." Aang said sarcastically. "It will make an excellent gift for your father."

Azula smirked. "It would, but I think I want to keep it for myself. Thanks for the consideration."

xxx

A/N

The End! Hope you liked it.

Ha. Just kidding. I've already come up with a sequel to this story, so its not likely at all that I'm ending this anytime soon.

I downplayed Aang and Sokka and Azula a LOT. When I get out of this Zutara-induced craze I'll go back and tweak it, but for now it shall remain as it is. There was also a lot of stuff I would've liked to put in this chapter too, but seeing as the length of this one was rather longish, I decided just to come back with more excitement in the next chapter.

Yay, the CHASE! I'm hoping Iroh and Zuko will make an appearance in 'Bitter Work'.

And again… I would LOVE it if someone would be interested in doing illustrations… Email me!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N

As I predicted, Zuko and Iroh DID show up in "Bitter Work". I am good, huh?

So I'm on 'vacation', which is more of an… obligation than a vacation, therefore I'm hoping to completely finish this entire fic during the week and a half I have been given. Mission Impossible, oh yeah baby!

xxx

"This is stupid, Aang." Sokka grumbled.

"Is that noise I hear from the pony-tailed boy?" Azula said mockingly from her litter.

Sokka scowled at her. He was being dragged by his arm by a soldier, a predicament that he wasn't satisfied with in the slightest. He looked back to Aang, who was completely bound and being carried across the shoulders of a man following the litter.

"Aang, you know you can get out of this. Go! Before she can take you to the ship, run!" Sokka pleaded.

Aang shook his head, his mouth gagged to prevent him from even making a gust.

"You're trading the fate of the entire world for one person!" Sokka exclaimed, "Compare me to thousands of people, Aang. Who's more important?"

Aang looked away, unconvinced.

Sokka tried to shrug off the soldier's grip. "What about Katara? Who will look after her now? She could be running straight into us! I'll never forgive you if anything happens to her! Leave and save her!"

Aang hesitated, but shook his head once more.

The princess let loose a horrible, squealing laugh. Its shrill tone seemed to shatter any hope the boys had left of leaving.

"This is perfect!" She said after she'd settled back down. "I have my uncle, my brother is on his way, and the avatar's heart is too big to let one person die to save the world. Oh, you two have made my day."

Aang stared at the ground. Hoping that by some miracle Katara could find a way to save them, and also sending his deepest apologies to the only friend that had remained alive with him those past one hundred years. Appa had been chained to the ground where Azula had found them. The sight of that lovable bison struggling to free himself from the dozen chains that prevented him from making the slightest move still haunted Aang.

Tears welled behind the young monk's eyelids as he realized his dearest friend's life would end in the mud, his very soul pinned down.

xxx

"It's stopped." Mai said, after putting her palm to the ground for several moments without any movement underneath.

Ty Lee peered at the area around them. "Well, I don't see anyone coming yet."

Suddenly, the entire ground trembled, and the group sank into a pit deeper than three men standing on top one another.

As they struggled to gather their bearings at the bottom of the man-made hole, they swore they could hear a young man's voice laughing.

xxx

Haru had never chortled before. He chuckled, guffawed, and even the occasional giggle was passed through his lips. But his victory over those fire nation idiots was cause enough to chortle. His laughter rang through his own tunnels.

"I did it!" he boomed, just in case Katara and Zuko could hear him. "They're in a rut now!"

He galloped back to the cavern and was welcomed by a flickering light set in the middle of the room. Katara and Zuko were huddled against one wall. Katara looked stricken. Zuko looked somber, but then again, he always looked somber.

"Well look here." Haru said, grinning at the two of them, "Neither one of you is dead or even maimed!"

"They're stuck now, right?" Katara asked, slowly recovering from her bug-eyed stare.

"Yup. We can go now. Hold on to your hats, lady and Zuko."

"Hey! Why am I not a gentleman?" Zuko snapped.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess you could be classified as that. Well, anyway, brace yourself."

Haru swung his arms in the opposite direction as he had before. Katara had just managed to get up onto her feet beside Zuko when they rose to the surface. She stumbled and latched onto Zuko's arm to keep herself from falling. He jerked away, but fell onto his knees when he did so.

The sun blinded them, even though it was the late afternoon light that struck them. They struggled together to regain their sight.

"No one's coming, right?" Zuko said, wiping the water away that had flooded his eyes.

"I don't know." Katara answered, bumping into Haru as he stood as still as he could with eyes squeezed shut. "Haru, what are you doing?"

"Stop moving and you'll adjust faster." He mumbled.

"That's bogus!" Zuko snarled and tripped over Momo. "Stupid lemur!"

"Wait! Don't lose him! We need him to find Aang!" Katara squealed and attempted to open her eyes. "Here Momo!" she held out her arm.

Momo jumped onto it, chittering in her ear.

"Momo, we need you to go and find Aang and Sokka. They'll get the point and they'll come and get us."

"We don't need them! We were doing just fine, and now that Mai and Ty Lee won't be able to follow us-." Katara cut Zuko off.

"But you have no idea where you're going!" she countered, finally able to see his outline. "We just need Appa, and then we'll fly over and spot him from above."

"Fly? What about Azula? She's out there somewhere, and with us in such plain sight we'd be a prime target to shoot down. Trust me, I should know." Zuko said.

"I can see!" Haru exclaimed.

"I'm sending Momo." Katara said firmly and he flew northward to find the now-detained air bender.

xxx

"Can you sing, water boy? I'm in the mood for a song." Azula said.

Sokka growled. "No. And if I could, I wouldn't."

"Too bad. I guess you'll have to find some other from of entertainment for me." She grinned maliciously. "I'll bet you can dance."

"No. I can't dance either."

"I'll bet I can make you."

"How about I give you a haircut? That'd be fun, wouldn't it? I'll style it just like your brother's. You'll look like twins." Sokka said.

"That would work, except for the fact that he's got a mite little scar on his left cheek. Perhaps you've noticed it?"

"Oh, don't worry." Sokka said, his lips curling into a grin, "Aang will be able to give you a matching one here pretty soon."

"I doubt that very much." Azula snorted. "Water and air bending hardly make an avatar."

Aang exclaimed something undistinguishable beneath his gag.

"He's working on it." Sokka said in his defense.

"Not anymore." Azula replied, grinning.

xxx

Despite his kind words only a few minute past, Zuko was ignoring Katara and being just as short and bitter with her as he'd always been. She had hoped that perhaps he'd speak to her like he spoke to Aang, like a friend. But hopes and wishes don't make fact.

"We're coming up on our prisoners." Haru said jovially.

Katara grimaced. She didn't like the fact that she had 'prisoners'. "Isn't it a little cruel to leave them down there?"

"What else should we do with them?" Haru asked.

"They deserve it." Zuko said matter-of-factly.

"Why?" Katara asked.

He sighed, "Because they do. Stop asking questions."

She bristled. "Stop snapping at me like I'm your footman!"

"Hey. Let's just stop fighting and get along, okay?" Haru offered, stepping between his two opposing companions.

"Tell him that, not me! I am getting along. He's the one who can't-."

"Shut up now." Zuko said dully.

She lunged at him, but Haru held her back. "Say that when I've got _water, _you jelly-spined bandit!"

"Why don't you have water?" Haru asked curiously.

"I'd tell you to ask him, but he doesn't want to talk to anyone, do you hothead? He drank it all!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Uh… so here's the pit…" Haru said, gesturing grandly to the extensive hole before them.

"You said sorry, sure. But you can't just say it. You have to mean it!"

"I won't bend over backwards for you. I'll leave that to Haru and the avatar."

"Hey!" Haru interjected.

"His name is AANG!"

"Whatever."

"I'm serious. Fight me when I've got water to-."

"Splash at me? We've already seen how that went."

"Yeah. I beat you."

"Guys, could we-."

"You beat me when we were surrounded by snow. Of course you beat me. And I'd beat you in the belly of a volcano, too."

"Anytime, Zuko!"

"How about later?" Haru suggested meekly. "We could always take out our aggressions on the prisoners… in the pit… right here… now."

"Don't you have some rocks to roll around?" Zuko snapped. "The adults are busy talking."

"Don't talk to him that way!" Katara snapped.

"Hey! That's enough, okay? Besides, we have an audience." Haru yelled, and pointed behind him at the sets of eyes peering at them from the pit bottom.

Zuko and Katara were seething. Their glares were sharp enough to kill.

"You're on, Katara." Zuko growled. "Once you have some water to swish, we'll fight."

"Fine." She snarled back.

They finally walked over to the pit and studied its contents.

"Hey Zuko!" Ty Lee squealed. "Good seeing you!"

He scowled. "Where's Azula?"

"Get us out and we'll tell you." Mai answered.

"Fat chance." Katara said bitterly.

"I hope you packed some food. You'll be there awhile." Zuko snarled and began to walk around the hole.

"We'll tell you where Azula is, if you tell us where Iroh is." Ty Lee offered.

"How about no?" Katara snapped.

The three surfaced people walked away from the pit, leaving a fuming group of Fire Nation minions.

xxx

Azula's party halted for the night. Aang was wound so tightly to a tree that he could barely draw breath, which may very well have been the point.

Sokka was sat next to Iroh. Iroh couldn't have cared less about his situation; he was unconscious. But the old man had begun to reek, and Sokka was unaccustomed to bunking with smelly sick men. He tried to complain to the soldier who was binding his hands, and he received a smart kick to the gut in return.

Azula went to recline in her litter, while the rest of her men scurried about camp trying to please her every whim.

Sokka struggled in his bonds for awhile, until he had completely satisfied his curiosity. The bonds would not budge. He sank back against the tree he was propped against and tried to catch Aang's attention.

Aang ignored Sokka. He could see him flailing his bound hands, but he didn't want to notice. All the other boy would have to say is that Aang was doing everything wrong, that he should flee, leave Sokka to die.

A flash of white caught Aang's attention. Momo appeared on a branch. Aang could do nothing to signal to his pet, however. All he could manage was a jerk of his head towards Sokka, and hope that the lemur understood.

He did, and flew swiftly to Sokka.

"Momo," Sokka whispered, pulling the lemur into a hug as best as he could. "I guess Katara is okay? If she is, keep her away! Need to," Sokka squirmed towards his pack, but couldn't get close enough. "Need to get a message to her. Momo, get in that bag and see what you can find."

Momo blinked at Sokka. He sighed, exasperated. "Momo, please! Of all the times for you to understand, do it now!"

A soldier walked by, and Momo dove into Sokka's pack.

"Who are you whispering to?" the man asked suspiciously.

"Iroh." Sokka said quickly. "I thought I saw him move a little, so I was trying to make conversation."

"Well, don't. The princess doesn't want you gagged, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to talk though."

"Sure thing." Sokka replied nonchalantly.

The man stalked off, and just as he turned his back, Momo popped out of the bag holding Zuko's knife.

"Good, Momo! And here…" Sokka yanked off his left glove and tossed it to the creature. "Now go!"

Momo rose from the ground and flew into the night, disappearing before any of the fire benders could see him.

xxx

"I'm getting kind of tired." Katara said as they continued to march in the moonlight.

Zuko scoffed. "Figures you'd be the first one to stop."

"If Katara wants to stop, then it's no big deal." Haru countered, leading Katara to a place beside the road where they could pile upon the ground.

Katara and Haru spread their bedrolls out and sank into them, and Zuko kneeled over a grouping of logs to light them.

"Don't." Katara ordered, sitting up in case she needed to couple her words with action. "We can't afford to face Azula, and we'd be too easily seen with a fire."

"We have to get warm somehow." Zuko said and continued to stoke the small fire he had emitted.

Katara stood up and stepped towards him.

"Hear that?" she said, cocking her head to listen to the sleeping forest. "I hear a river."

"Great. Go jump in it."

"Why don't you! Put out that fire!"

Haru jerked his wrist and a spray of dirt smothered the fire. Zuko rose to his feet.

"You want to fight me too, mud squatter?"

"No. But Katara's right. I don't think we should have a fire. We'll be plenty warm without it."

"Oh, sure." Zuko drawled. "You two can snuggle together and get warm, but I-."

"No one said anything about snuggling, you pompous jerk!" Katara snapped. "Wait." She looked up at the sky. "Is that Momo?"

"You can't fool me." Zuko scoffed, and leaned back over to light his fire.

Haru promptly extinguished it again.

"It is Momo! Where are Aang and Sokka?" Katara cried after the messenger had landed safely in her arms. She pulled his treasures from his back feet.

"Hey! That's my knife!" Zuko exclaimed, swiping his weapon back.

"Sokka must have taken it while you weren't looking." Katara said nonchalantly, fingering Sokka's glove. "And Sokka would never take this off. He rarely takes his gloves off to bathe, so if Momo has this then…" She trailed off, afraid to say what might have happened.

Even Zuko stopped his fuming to give her a sympathetic look. Haru crossed the clearing to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Katara…"

"They're captured! That's it. They can't be… They're captured. We have to save them!" She looked from Haru's face to Zuko's. Each wore the same desolate expression.

"Sure, Katara." Haru said gently. "Let's just get some rest, then we can set off tomorrow."

"No!" She rushed to her bedroll and frantically began to gather it up. "We have to go now! They could be in serious trouble!"

Again she looked up to watch their faces. Neither one of them had made any move.

"Just a few hours of rest, then we'll go." Zuko commanded, then settled onto the ground beside his hopeless fire pit.

She looked to Haru, but he had retreated to his own bedroll.

"Come on, Katara. Just get some sleep." Haru pleaded.

She sank to the ground compliantly. "Just a few hours."

"Mhm." Zuko muttered.

Katara slipped into a dog-tired slumber, her brother's name on her worried lips.


	15. Chapter 15

A light spluttered, rose, then fell. It cast shadows on Katara's eyelids, chasing away the weak sleep she had just begun to claim. She rolled over, her conscience begging for the light to leave her alone.

Light? There wasn't supposed to be light!

She bolted upright, fearing for the worst. The forest on fire? Zuko flaming Haru in his sleep?

A cold pair of challenging eyes met hers across the fire pit. Zuko had started the fire that she and Haru had begged him not to light. He narrowed his eyes, daring her to argue with him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She growled, fumbling to release herself from her sleeping bag's grip.

"I'm warming myself. What's it to you?" He sat back against a tree, his gaze still fixed on her. He knew perfectly well that his casualness would drive her to insanity.

She pushed herself up, and the fire flickered higher, just to spite her. She bit her lip. No water. Haru was asleep; no dirt. She considered trying to stamp it out, but that would probably just lead to severe pain on her part.

"That's it." She growled, grabbing up her water pouch. "I'm going to the river, and when I come back, that fire had better be gone!"

Zuko watched her storm out of camp and into the darkness with a widening grin. He had won that small battle. He liked winning, and he didn't do it often.

xxx

Katara was beside herself with fury.

"What does Aang see in him, anyway? He's just a jerk!" Katara fumed.

The river sparkled beneath the moon, easing just a slight bit of her fury. She stepped into it, letting the water run around her and soothe her buzzing soul.

"You want to fight so bad?" Zuko said behind her.

She jumped and landed on her backside in the water. "You!" She gasped.

"It's night. We're in a river, and I'll bet I can still beat you." Zuko said quietly and stepped into the river a few feet from his fallen enemy.

He startled her. Katara wasn't too fond of being surprised, least of all from Zuko, and here he was, the moon casting a shine on his black hair, water droplets splashing on his exposed chest. For a brief moment, she got that floating sensation in her stomach, a feeling she hadn't felt since she'd met Jet.

The feeling past quickly and was replaced by the same boiling rage.

She rose to her feet, narrowing her eyes. "I've trusted Aang since I met him. He's a kid, sure, but he has everyone's best intentions at heart. He would never do anything that could hurt anyone else. But in this case he was wrong. I don't care what you told him, but whatever it was must've been a lie."

"He asked to help me, not the other way around." Zuko spat. He started to circle her. He wanted her by the shore, so he could push her away out of the water gradually.

"You don't deserve our help."

"What help have you provided?" Zuko chided.

Katara curled her hands into fists and swung a wall of water into Zuko's side, almost knocking him off of his feet.

xxx

"So then the platypus bear jumped the fence and we all had to chase after him!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

"Couldn't you do something a little more useful than telling stories?" Mai snapped.

"It is useful! Look, I lulled the men to sleep." She pointed to a pile of slumped fire benders emitting quiet snores.

Mai tried once again to jump up the wall and grab the little bit of root that hung out, taunting her. She failed and dropped back into the pit.

Ty Lee twirled a stray piece of hand in her fingers. "Why don't you just rest for awhile?"

"I want to get out of here." Mai growled. A forbidden yawn pushed its way from her throat and she turned away to hide it. "I don't want to rot in this hole."

Ty Lee shrugged. "Okay, then can I tell you about the time the ringmaster fell out of a tree trying to rescue an escaped flying boar?"

Mai groaned.

xxx

Zuko jetted a fireball at Katara. She blocked it and threw an ice spear at him. He dodged. This tiresome game dragged on for more than a quarter of an hour. Zuko's arms began to ache, and she began to feel light-headed. Both of them refused not to see this fight through, however.

"What's the matter, Zuko? No avatar around to give you reason to fight?" Katara mocked.

"I'm doing just fine, besides I wouldn't want to go too hard on you. Seeing such a pretty face cry would just break Haru's heart." Zuko snarled.

She attempted to encase him ice, hoping that would slow him down, but he melted free before she even had a chance to take a breath.

"What did you just call me?" Katara gasped.

He stumbled backward for a moment; she had just hit his forehead with a stream of water.

"Pretty face?" He asked, clutching his stinging forehead with one hand and propelling a fireball at Katara.

She wrinkled her nose. "Don't call me that again."

"Who's gonna stop me?" Zuko took a few steps closer to her and held his hand high to strike her.

She grabbed his wrist and held up her other hand to make another water whip, but he latched onto her wrist. Katara froze his hand she was grasping to keep him from flaming her so close, and he scorched her wrist, hoping the pain of her burning skin would make her pull away. She gritted her teeth, unwilling to give up so quickly.

"Let go!" She screamed.

"You first!"

"You… jerk!"

"You fool!"

"You just can't admit that a girl beat you three times."

"Three times? No, that would make two, or can't you do the math?"

"Three times! Once at the oasis, once on the ice in front of that cave, and it's about to become three!"

"That second one wasn't a fight!"

"Was… too." She squeezed her eyes shut to keep a rein on her tears that welling up because of the searing pain of his hand.

Zuko caught the pain in her features.

"I'll let you go, if you promise not to tell anyone about this." He reasoned.

"Like it matters!"

"Do you promise?"

"Yes!"

He released her wrist and she collapsed, cradling her injured arm. He stood over her, watching her writhe in pain.

Pain I caused, he thought.

"Here," he said gently, trying to take her arm.

She pulled away and retreated to a log on the shore.

"I'm trying to help!" Zuko said and followed her to the shore.

She sank onto the log and pulled her arm out to inspect it. "You've helped enough already." She said accusingly.

He grimaced at the sight of her burn. He knelt in front of her.

"I'll wrap it." He offered.

She shook her head. "You don't have to."

"But I-."

She wrapped her hand in water, creating a glove from it. She pressed it upon her wrist. Zuko watched with morbid fascination as the wound disappeared and her tan skin remained unmarked.

"How did you do that?" He gasped, pulling up her sleeve to further examine her work.

"I'm a healer." She said simply.

"Incredible…" he muttered, his gaze fluttering from her arm to the stern look she was piercing him with.

"That was dumb." She said.

"What? That?" he gestured to the river.

"Yes." She stood and stooped to the water to fill her canteen. "That was the single most stupid thing I've ever done."

"Why? I thought it was fulfilling."

"But you like to fight, so that makes sense."

"You don't?"

"I fight because I have to, and there I didn't have to. I let my anger take over."

"Oh." Zuko frowned. "I've done that a lot lately." He added softly.

"That was just so… stupid." She cried. She spun around. "You won't tell anyone about this, will you?"

"I made you promise not to."

"But you didn't promise. Do you?" She stepped closer and stared up at him challengingly.

"Yes." He answered. "But I don't exactly regret it, just the part where you… When I hurt you, that's all."

"Well…let's just agree not to do it again, okay?" Katara offered.

He nodded and together they walked back to camp.

xxx

"I hope you like bread crusts and dried prunes!" Haru exclaimed, holding out his offerings to a waking Katara.

She mumbled something about not wanting any earth crud. Haru set down his food and shook her shoulder.

"Come on, it's dawn already! We should set off before the day gets too hot."

"Doesn't look like she's getting up," Zuko noticed. "Why don't you kiss her? It seems to work in fairy tales."

"I don't think-."

Katara bolted upright. "I'm up. I'm up."

"Do you want some breakfast?"

"Let's eat on the way." She said, hurriedly stuffing her bedroll into a manageable wad.

The boys followed her lead and quickly packed up the few things they had strung about the site.

"You look really tired, Katara." Haru said as they began to set off down the road.

"I didn't sleep very well."

"Worried?"

"Yeah… Just worried."

. Her gaze flickered slightly to Zuko, and he quickly looked away.

xxx

"You'll love the ship, avatar." Azula said happily.

"We're going to your ship?" Sokka gasped, pausing his tiresome struggling against a soldier's grip. "Why the ship? Don't you have to get Zuko, too?"

"Is that too much out of your 'escape plan' for you?" Azula asked mockingly. "Zuko will come to me. I don't need to find him."

"What about your, ah, friends?"

"Mai and Ty Lee will find their way back eventually. I've got it all figured out; you needn't worry your spike-haired head about it."

"Spike-haired? It's not spike-."

She flicked her wrist and the soldier clamped his entire arm around Sokka's mouth.

"You talk too much, whatever you are." She said, her voice losing all its false good-nature.

The party then veered off the road and plunged into the wilderness.

"Only a league or so more, then you can all rest in your cozy cells." Azula said bitterly and cast a malevolent smile in Sokka's direction. It faded when she glimpsed his naked left hand. "Wait. You had two gloves yesterday."

The procession stopped. Aang's chest tightened in panic, as did Sokka's.

Azula slipped out from her curtained seat and glared down at Sokka. "Whatever you're trying to pull, it won't work."

Sokka drew himself up, staring back at her with what he hoped was courage and not foolishness. "You're wrong."

"We'll see, won't we? Once we're in the Fire Nation I'll have no further use for you. Maybe I'll use you as target practice; my lightening has been a little off lately."

Aang made a noise and squirmed on top of the man's shoulders.

Azula laughed and stepped back into her shelter, her spirits high.

xxx

"Let's think of a worse-case scenario." Katara said.

She had taken the lead, walking briskly in her state of panic. Zuko and Haru watched her numbly. She'd done nothing but chitter nervously since they'd left camp, and their hunger only worsened their moods.

"Worse-case scenario…" Zuko yawned. "They're all dead."

Katara swirled around. "Dead? Why would they be dead? Aang can't die! She'd be an idiot to kill him!"

"Fine. Worse-case scenario: Aang is captured, your brother is dead, and so is Uncle."

Her march quickened. "You're wrong."

Zuko scoffed, "Well, you didn't ask for sugar and honey! You said you wanted-."

"I know what I wanted! Let's talk best-case scenario."

"They're all having lunch!" Haru said brightly. "And their planning a surprise party for us!"

"You do realize we're walking straight into a trap, don't you?" Zuko drawled.

"What do you want us to do? Wait it out? It's not a drought; we can do something about it." Katara snapped.

"We need to be prepared." Zuko retorted. "So let's start planning for the worse-case scenario. If we can salvage Aang, then… then that's…"

"Not enough." Haru finished softly.

"It's okay." Katara said hopefully, "They're fine, and we're on our way."

"Azula is not an easy obstacle." Zuko noted. "If she's waiting for us, and we don't have the element of surprise, then we might as well hand ourselves over."

"You want us to give up?" Katara gasped. She'd never known him to let go of anything without fighting to his last breath.

"No! I'm saying we need a plan. The three of us can definitely not top Azula, even if she is alone, which she won't be."

"If we cut Aang and Sokka free then they can help, too." Haru said.

"We'll never make it at this rate, let's run!" Katara said and broke into an erratic pace.

Zuko glanced at Haru. "I wonder how long this will last," he muttered.

xxx

"You don't think Azula will leave us here, do you?" Ty Lee asked.

She finally had run out of positive energy, and she too was slumped at the bottom of the pit, despondent.

"Yes." Mai answered sharply. "We're no more important to her than them," she jerked her head to the soldiers, still sleeping.

"I wish I was still back at the circus… We had an act like this pit, once. We pretended to be miners and we'd fallen down an abandoned shaft and we had to acrobat ourselves out. The crowd loved it."

"You got out of it?" Mai gasped.

"Yeah… And it was deeper than this too."

The two of them froze, each realizing at the same time what an idiot Ty Lee was.

"Why didn't you think of this sooner?" Mai whined, standing up to aid her as best as she could.

Ty Lee stepped back as far away from Mai as she could. "I don't know," she admitted. "It never occurred to me. I thought maybe someone would come along and help us out."

She leapt at Mai, tossing herself upside down onto Mai's shoulders. Mai's knees buckled slightly from her friend's weight.

"Hurry…" Mai groaned.

In two short bounds, Ty Lee sprang against the opposite wall, then flipped herself onto the pit ledge.

"I'm up!" she squealed.

"But you forgot the rope!" Mai screamed, holding up the forgotten coil.

"Oh. Silly me. Can you toss it up?"

Mai chucked it.

It slid back down the wall.

"I thought you threw things." Ty Lee frowned, "Isn't that what you do?"

Mai gritted her teeth. "Arrows. Daggers. Not rope!"

xxx

Zuko knelt to the ground, inspecting the footprints lain before him.

"Someone was being dragged here," he pointed. "And these sets are heavier, as if they were carrying something."

"But where's Appa?" Katara cried.

"And the ostrich horse." Zuko added thoughtfully.

"Ostrich horse?" Haru asked. "What ostrich horse?"

"Uncle and I had one. If we could find either of them, maybe we could have a clue to where they were headed. If Azula was here, we would know by now. She's not one to wait too long."

"Let's split up." Katara said, and before either of her companions could protest, she sprinted away.

"Does she ever stop and think?" Zuko growled.

Haru shrugged and set off in another direction.

Zuko followed two sets of prints, each wearing Fire Nation boots. It wound off the road and into the surrounding forest. In the distance he heard the rattle of chains and a low groan. He doubled his pace, abandoning the trail and heading for the source of the sound.

"Katara! Haru! Come here! I think I've found-."

He stopped short.

The monster that faced him was unbelievably massive to be chained down to ground as he was. Zuko drew back, afraid the beast might lunge against his bonds and snap his neck out of pure spite.

"Appa!" Katara shrieked from behind him.

"Wait!" Zuko cried, holding his arm out to catch her. "What if it's hostile?"

"This is Appa! Not an animal!" She pushed around him and began tugging unsuccessfully at his chains.

Haru finally caught up and began to survey the situation. "Katara, I don't think that will work. We need to find the source of the chains…"

Zuko skimmed the ground looking for a common endpoint of the iron chain. A cream-colored splotch caught his attention, and he pointed to it. "A note!"

Katara scooped up the thick roll of parchment lying on top of the chain ends.

"'I, Princess Azula, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, deem this beast to be property of the Fire Nation. Any person wishing to free the animal will answer Me.

"'If this proclamation is so happened to be found by Prince Zuko or any of his affiliates, I have this to say to him.

"'You may find me at the river port. I shall be waiting your return.

"'To all others, stay back from this beast. He is dangerous, and if that fact does not sway you, perhaps the threat of Me will.'

"She's so…" Katara began but couldn't find the right word to fit her description.

"Pompous." Zuko finished for her.

"She's worse than you were," Katara said absently gazing back to Appa.

Zuko didn't argue.

As the sun reached its peak in the sky, the three toiled over the bison's bonds. After an hour of pulling, pushing, and frustrated exclamations, the group was able to release Appa. Even Zuko had to admit that seeing such a creature of the sky freed made him feel a little better about himself.

Maybe there were other beasts within himself he could let go as well…

xxx

A/N

MUhahaaha! I'm in a furious frenzy! I WILL get this thing all written before vacation's over, because if I don't, it will take forever!

I appreciate the reviews! And I'm in four communities! Dang! That's cool. Thank you all very much. Y'all stoke my little writing flame!

I gotta get some opinions from you…

1.) Who thinks what of Toph? I personally am not very fond of her. She's mean, and she makes Aang frustrated. Aang's too adorable to be angry.

2.) WWZD? What will Zuko do? Now that he's broken down in tears (srry for the spoiler!), and by the way, I really wanted to hug him after that, what will he do? Will he open up a little more or will he just be angrier? I'm hoping he'll give up going after Aang.

And… yeah. Hope you are enjoying your summer.


	16. Chapter 16

Sokka huffed. He shifted. He sighed, sank his head into his hands. He glanced at the iron-clad meatheads crowding around him.

"This isn't right." He finally whined.

Aang was strung up on the opposite wall, his arms and legs spread-eagled, much like he'd been prisoner before in Zhao's care. Except this time there was a metal contraption around his mouth, preventing him from inhaling or exhaling enough air to allow him to do any harm. The monk in question rolled his eyes at Sokka. He'd been complaining about the situation since they'd been thrown onto the ship.

"How come he gets rope and chains, and I get the five of you?" Sokka whined once more.

The water tribe boy was completely unbound. As if to prove his purpose on the ship, Azula had ordered his treatment to be similar to a baby's. Stand around him, she had instructed, and don't let him do anything stupid. He was to be used only as a threat to the avatar, should he even consider escaping.

"Silence." A soldier growled from beneath his helmet.

"Aang, seriously, go! Nothing is stopping you but me! I'm gonna say this again; it's either me or the world. Now the logical choice is the world. Ask anyone, ask him," Sokka pointed to the soldier on his right, "And he'll tell you the same thing. My life is insignificant! And I really will not forgive you if anything happens to Katara." Sokka fumbled with his ungloved hand. "I know… that you have feelings for her, Aang. What will you do, if ten years from now you're locked away in a cell and the rest of the world is dying, including Katara? Please, if you do this for anyone, do it for her."

Aang's shoulders trembled and his eyes filled with tears. His head dropped to his chest and he shook his head.

"I won't let you go," Aang said, and it came out of his mask as a distant metallic slur, but still understandable to his companion.

"Aang…" Sokka said, holding out his hand in a plea, "Please."

The boy didn't respond, but only kept his head slumped.

Tears rolled down his cheeks and fell onto the metal mask he bore around his mouth.

xxx

"What do we do?" Katara muttered, staring into the forest canopy.

She hadn't had this much dread carried in her heart since she'd been in the South Pole, when the Fire Nation had attacked and stole her mother's life away.

"She expects us." Zuko said. He was leaning against Appa, trying to borrow strength from the bushy animal; he hoped that the stronghold of a beast radiated power, and that Zuko might be able to catch some of it. "If Azula is prepared to meet us, we have no hope."

"Sokka…" Katara whispered, and buried her head into her arms draped across her knees.

Haru put a hand on Katara's shoulder. "There are only three of us. If only we had more people…"

"Nishe." Katara said at once and rose to her feet and began to climb up onto Appa.

"The people aren't just going to volunteer to go against Azula. She's a powerful fire bender, and she probably has fifty or so soldiers at her will!" Zuko protested.

"Katara's done this before," Haru grinned, "She convinced us to rise against our captors back at the prison camp. And besides, the earth bending tournament is going on. Some of the best earth benders from the nation will be there!"

Haru dashed up onto Appa's saddle, leaving Zuko to stare dumbfounded up at the two of them.

"Are you serious? You're sure it will work?" Zuko gasped.

"I won't sit here and let the three of them be turned over the Fire Lord." Katara replied sternly. "And no, I don't know if it will work."

Zuko felt a twinge of admiration for her. She was willing to go with her gut, despite the fact that she could fail and die along with her good intentions.

He gave one final glance around him, as if savoring the last of safety he would be granted for a long time ahead. "Okay." He said gruffly and was hoisted up into the saddle.

xxx

A/N

I made this one short on purpose. One, it makes me feel slightly more accomplished (Hey, I finished a chapter in an hour!), and two, it fits my chapter plan. Yeah, surprisingly I have a plan!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N

I'd like y'all to keep in mind that I came up with this chapter before I saw "the Earthbending Tournament" (or "the Blind Bandit", whatever Nickelodeon decides to call it on that particular day… stupid network). So, I didn't rip this idea off or anything, although the description of the place is taken from my own eye-witness account of… that episode.

And EW Irrel. Sokka and Azula? Pu leez.

"Should we land outside the city?" Zuko asked over the roaring wind.

Katara sat at Appa's head, gripping his reins with a ferocity the bison had never known.

"Why?" She spat, barely sparing her passengers any thought.

"To avoid attracting attention?" Zuko stated the obvious.

"We want all the attention we can get. You, on the other hand, may want to put on a hat."

Haru handed Zuko his straw hat, shoved into a corner of the saddle.

"Wouldn't I add to the authenticity of this excursion?" Zuko asked, holding his lopsided hat.

"You would add to the fury of the people we are trying to recruit." Katara answered shortly.

The town appeared before them, its buildings in sharp contrast with the surrounding greenery. Katara pulled Appa down, landing him in the open town square. She had expected to be met by a chaotic flurry of people, demanding to know what was going on, or maybe even torches and pitchforks. But the scene that approached them was… empty.

"Where is everyone?" Haru gasped.

The town was bare. It didn't have the stale look of desertion, but there was no bustle, no curious eye to roam over the strangers that had just plopped into the square.

"Great." Zuko scowled, jamming his hat onto his head. "We landed in a deserted town to find help!"

Katara leapt down, holding back the urge to throw her hands up in a scream. "There has to be someone."

"Look! An old man!" Haru pointed down the lane.

"Get him!" Zuko screamed.

Katara bolted toward him, waving her hands in the air. "Sir? Sir! Excuse me, sir!"

"What? What's this? That thing is standing on the town tree! Get it off!" The man bellowed, brandishing his cane.

Appa groaned and sidestepped, revealing a ten-inch sapling.

"Oh." Katara said apologetically. "Sir, where is everyone? What happened here?"

"That confound it earth tournament happened! If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away too! They brainwash them people in there! My townsfolk will come out zombies!"

She wrinkled her brow. "Right. I'll… stay away. Where is it that I'm avoiding?"

He pointed a spotted hand to the far eastern edge of town.

"It's a big building with a green banner. You can't miss it, though I hope you do!"

"Uh… Sure. Thanks!"

She dashed back to Zuko and Haru. Both of them were on the ground, prepared to run wherever Katara told them.

The group found the building the old man described without incident. Katara turned to Zuko at the entrance.

"Why don't you, uh, stay outside?" she offered.

"Why?"

"Because…" she fumbled over her reason and looked to Haru for help.

"Because the people in there will probably kill you." He finished easily, grinning at him in his honesty.

Zuko scowled. "You want me to wait outside?"

"Please? Or at least keep in the shadows or something?"

He set his jaw and nodded.

Katara and Haru ducked into the thrilling darkness of the tournament hall. Rumblings and shouting greeted them at once. For a moment they lost themselves among flying rock and screaming crowds, mixing until the scene blended together into a swirl or Earth Kingdom at its most thrilling.

"We don't have much time." Katara said, finally able to focus enough to locate the commentator.

"Did you see that move?"

"Haru. Come on. You've got to help me."

"Oh. Right. Sorry about that."

The beefy man that was belting out names and scores was seated on a column of rock, perched high above the crowd and the ring.

"Can you get me up there?" Katara asked, pointing.

"Don't you think it'd be better if you were out there?" Haru said, pointing to the ring.

"Maybe I can get him to help too-."

"Not without some bribery. Let's just go out into the ring."

"But-."

"Come on."

xxx

Zuko was watching from the shadows of the stadium seats with mixed feelings. He curled his lip at the ordeal with which he found himself in. Earth benders were revered for their strength, but also mocked for their thick-headedness by the Fire Nation. The tournament only concreted that rumor. Here they were chucking rocks at each other with brute force. Dumb and strong at the same time.

He was also watching Haru pull Katara up onto the ring, and the two of them were sandwiched between two boulder-pushing, three-hundred pound, hollering men. Haru was an idiot, and here he was leading the only person among the three of them with any sense at all onto the most dangerous spot in the entire town.

Zuko did admit, if only to himself, that if anyone held the sense and brains in their outfit, it was Katara.

He wanted to shout at Haru and tell him to do something a little wiser, but he held back. The screaming crowd that was now on their feet only added to his urge to join his voice with theirs. It was unbearable to resist.

"Get out of the ring!" The people shouted.

Zuko bit his cheek. Yes, he thought, get out of the ring.

"Get 'em outta there!"

"Move 'em!"

"Get on with the show!"

"I didn't pay for this!"

Zuko took a breath, and bit his tongue to silence himself again.

xxx

Katara didn't know if she'd ever felt so terrified.

Haru had managed to stop the boulders that came rushing at them, but she was still being pelted with stone by the audience, and the glares from the performers were enough to send a girl her size running.

"Get off the ring!" she heard a particularly clear voice scream.

"Was that Zuko?" Haru muttered.

"It better not have been," she replied.

"Okay," Haru said, holding up an apologetic hand to the unhappy crowd. "Do your stuff, Katara."

"Uh… Good people of the Earth Kingdom… We come to you in a very desperate time!"

The crowd instantly began to boo.

"Louder!" Zuko shouted.

Haru groaned. "He's gonna get caught."

"Please!" Katara screamed. "The avatar is in trouble and he needs your help!"

Her voice was, once again, lost in a sea of hissing and screams.

The commentator jumped down and advanced towards them. Katara grabbed Haru's arm.

"He's half as big as Appa!" She squealed.

"What are you two doing?" the man growled. His very voice seemed to be tumbling stones.

"We need help." Haru replied.

"Obviously. You're stuck in the middle of two earth benders and in front of a very unhappy crowd that would squish you as soon as look at you. I'd say you needed some serious help."

"The avatar needs help. He's been captured by fire benders, and we need can't save him, just the three of us. We came here to ask that we might get aid." Haru said.

"He's the only hope we have of winning the war," Katara added from behind Haru.

xxx

After his second outburst, Zuko began to get icy looks.

"Hey!" one man dared to venture, "Are you cheering FOR those people out there?"

Zuko didn't respond, but pretended to be looking around for the culprit who was shouting such ridiculous things.

He saw, like some sort of impending doom, the commentator drop onto the ring. Katara panicked and ducked behind Haru. Instead of raising a hand to push them away, however, he talked to them, and they spoke back, with what Zuko presumed to be, a little less than fear.

Suddenly the man on the ring turned to address the crowd, who silenced immediately.

"There is a crisis in the world that cannot be silenced by a spectacular day of tournamenting." He began, speaking slowly, and it seemed as if every word hit the quiet crowd like stones being dropped into a calm pond. The ripples were waves of rumpled brows and fierce whispers.

"A hundred years ago," He continued, "The world was plunged into a war. Who knows of it?"

A thousand voices rose at once in a unanimous sound of contempt.

"And who knows of the Fire Nation, who stole our land, burned our homes, sent our sons to their deaths, broke our people's hearts, and has kept so tight a fist upon our throats we cannot breathe?"

The roar that was emitted from the crowd was humbling. It was as if the entire hatred for the Fire Nation was contained within that small building, and it was like the very flame that the people resented, flickering through the faces of the people.

"But wait," the crowd hushed, "There is hope… This can end, and it can end soon. There is hope…"

The commentator turned to Katara and Haru and nodded. "They'll listen now."

Katara stepped forward and swept her arms to her sides in a grand gesture, "The avatar has returned!" she paused to listen to a collective set of emotions pass through the audience. "I have traveled with him, and I know his gentle leadership is exactly what this war needs to extinguish it. He is a master of air and water, and yes, he still has a small way to go to become a full avatar, but he is willing to do anything he must to save us all! I have faith in him. I know he will not fail us.

"And likewise, we must not fail him! As we speak, he is locked in the confines of a ship, under the watch of the Princess of the Fire Nation. He is in trouble, and I call upon you, great people of the Earth Kingdom to come to his aide!

"All of us have suffered from this war. We feel its wrath every day, from lost loved ones, to struggling to make ends meet, to facing them in battle. We toil to end it; I know we all do, in any way we can! Now is the time to make a difference. Now, if never before or again, do something that bring the Fire Nation to their knees! The avatar is in dire need of rescue, and I ask you, the strong and courageous Earth Kingdom, to help him help us! Who will rise up against the Fire Nation and take back the avatar?"

Haru beamed at her. She hadn't lost her touch at all.

xxx

Katara's greatest fear at the moment was the sun. It beat its rays upon the earth in unforgiving torrents. Its relentless power would lend itself to the fire benders, only aiding to their possible defeat. She shuddered. This was one battle she could not bear to lose.

Haru watched the girl on top of Appa with a lovesick fascination. He turned to Zuko.

"Didn't I tell you she's beautiful when she's distressed?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I don't see how you could admire someone's pain. Don't you think she's pretty enough when she's happy?"

"Do you think that?" Haru asked, alarmed at his companion's sudden interest.

"I didn't say that." Zuko snapped.

"Hm." Haru pulled back to mingle with the fifty-some earth benders that had joined forces with the group.

Katara had triumphed. After her speech, the crowd raised their voices in a wordless cheer of agreement and passion. Forty of the audience joined her on the ring and most of the performers gathered around her as well.

Zuko climbed up on top of the bison and sat behind her. "What's the plan now?"

She spun around with a wide expression of confusion. "You mean-."

"This is your army."

"I thought… Well, I mean in the past you would've gladly taken charge."

"I'm just part of your ranks."

"I'm going to have to see the situation before I come up with a detailed plan, but I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing."

"Pretty sure?" Zuko scoffed.

"Yes," Katara flushed, "I don't have much experience in this. Would you like to advise?"

He nodded. She smiled, and he half-smirked back.

"Ha." She said.

"What?"

"I got you to smile."

"So?"

"Aang said you never smiled."

Zuko widened his grin a notch, which gave her all the more pleasure.

To himself, he had just confirmed his theory. She was much prettier when she was happy.

xxx

A/N

Ay! I am about to write the single greatest chapter that will ever exist in Dream Royale's account (besides one I'll be adding in the sequel, which will top this million gazillion times). I have looked forward to chapter nineteen before I even began this fic.

Much ecstatic giggling will ensue.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N

AH!1111one

My neighbor just complained that I was squealing too loud, and she wasn't able to hear Wheel of Fortune.

xxx

Okay, I'm gonna start it now.

xxx

Yeah. Right now.

xxx

Is the suspense mounting?

xxx

Snack break! Pringles and Oreos!

xxx

"How nervous are you?" Katara asked Zuko, standing next to her.

"Anxious. Not nervous."

"How can you not be nervous?" she exclaimed.

"Look. We can see the ship from right here. Aren't you going to form a plan?"

Haru bounded up to her from behind them. "I met a guy who's gonna show me how to make sculptures with my feet!"

"Do you realize that what we are about to attempt will probably kill us?" Zuko snarled.

"Yeah, but my dad always says that you have to live every moment as if it were your last, and I wouldn't want to live my last breath my complaining."

Zuko snatched the air between himself and the earth bender to prevent himself from flaming or squeezing Haru's throat.

"I think I've got it." Katara said suddenly, after staring intently at the ship that was waiting in river before them.

She twirled around to face the group of volunteer soldiers behind her.

"Okay," she started.

Haru pushed his heel to the ground, and the land Katara was standing on rose violently several feet taller.

"Thanks…" she muttered, trying to keep her balance. "Here's the plan: First all of you will have to raise the ship out of the water; the last thing we need is for it to pull out in the water. So, lift it up and slope it toward the dock. Now, I need five volunteers to stay on the dock and bend earth up onto the deck. If you want the least amount of action, this is what I suggest you do. Who would like to do this?"

Five men raised their hands.

"Okay, good. Then, me and Zu-…My friend and I will go below and find the avatar and bring him up. While we are down there, make sure no one goes after us, especially the princess. She's… not easy to deal with. So everyone got it? Pull the ship up and slope it. The five of you bend earth up onto the deck, and the rest of you pummel the brains out of those fire benders!"

"Rock on!" Haru screamed, throwing his fist in the air.

Katara and Zuko exchanged glances. Earth benders…

xxx

"Isn't that cute? My brother has gathered a little resistance! He hasn't ever failed to entertain me." Azula cooed from her place next to the telescope.

"Shall we fire now, Princess?"

"No. Let's see their little 'plan'. It won't be anything we can't handle, I'm sure."

They watched, bemused, as the enemy moved onto the dock, and faced the ship with grim expressions.

Azula's grin slackened slightly when the ship rumbled and shook and almost threw her off of her feet.

xxx

"Okay! That's good, right there!" Katara shouted.

She turned to Zuko. "You ready?"

He nodded and tossed his hat aside. "Are you ready?"

"I've never been more ready."

She held a fist to the crowd behind her. "Rock on!"

xxx

Aang was swinging forward, the force of the tipped ship pulling at his bonds until he was hanging by his wrists and ankles.

"Shouldn't you guys be going to see what that was?" Sokka asked the guards, who had fallen back against the wall.

"Quiet."

xxx

Katara ran onto the deck first, bringing with her a wave of water and a line of angry earth benders. She swung the wave into about a dozen men, knocking them to their knees and causing them to slide towards her advancing team.

Zuko grabbed her arm and hauled her to the ship entrance. "We have a problem!" He shouted over rolling rock and screaming men.

"Beside the fact that we're attempting to overrun a Fire Nation ship?" she replied, sending a soldier backwards with a water whip.

They tumbled into the ship's interior, the sound outside dulled slightly by the iron walls.

"The prison cell in my ship was accessed from the deck."

"And? Why aren't we out on the deck now?"

"That way was blocked by half a dozen fire benders."

Katara halted, bringing Zuko, still attached to her arm, to a stop with her.

"What stopped you? Let's go."

A slab of stone was thrown over the ship entrance, throwing them into darkness. All that was heard was the panting from each of them.

Zuko lit his fist.

"Well…" Katara sighed. "Never mind."

"There's another way down there, but it's indirect, and I'm not precisely sure of how to get to it."

"In any case, we have to find it, and we have to do it quickly."

xxx

"Something big is going on out there." Sokka said, longing drenching his voice. He looked to Aang.

"Rescue?" Aang spared a breath to ask through the mask.

Sokka shrugged.

Four hopeful eyes were glued to the doorway.

xxx

Katara and Zuko came to an intersecting hall that seemed to place itself before them just to prove that they were hopelessly lost within the ship's hull.

"Wait…" he said, glancing around him. "This doesn't look familiar at all."

"This isn't your ship! Of course it isn't familiar!"

He didn't answer, but looked around the crossing hallways with increasing desperation.

"Are we lost?" Katara asked tiredly, her voice echoing along the metal walls.

"No. We aren't… lost. Let's go this way."

"How about we go to the prison cell? How's that for an idea?" Katara snapped.

He whirled around. "Fine. If you think you know your way better than I do, go ahead. Lead."

She bolted down the adjacent hall, and Zuko followed reluctantly. The two sped along and rounded a corner.

She halted, and Zuko slammed against her.

"Sokka!" She screamed.

Five soldier's heads swiveled in their direction.

Zuko pulled her back around in the hall, clamping a dry hand over her mouth, which he didn't release until they'd backed slowly down the hall quite a ways.

"What were you thinking?" he hissed.

"I found it, didn't I?" she snapped back.

He drew his swords and faced the footsteps that were picking their way down the hall towards them. Katara uncapped her water pouch and stood at-the-ready as well.

Zuko glared at her and jerked his head, mouthing, "Get back."

She shook her head, staring back at him just as determinedly.

They listened to each foot fall, and each ring of it seemed to be echoed by their own heart beats. Closer and closer still, until finally…

Katara engulfed the man's head in a swirl of water and yanked him around the corner. Zuko took the opportunity to jump behind him in his confusion. One of his hands pinned his arm behind the man's back, and the other hand took a firm grasp of the back of the man's helmet. Katara shuddered as Zuko slammed the man's head repeatedly into the wall, making a sick thud with each slap, until he slumped to the ground.

Zuko knelt down and instantly began peeling the armor off of the soldier.

"What are you doing?" Katara whispered, horrified at his sudden actions.

"Help me. Take off the uniform."

She knelt to help him, pulling off his arm casings and yanking the helmet from the unconscious man's head. The two of them succeeded in tugging it all off in a matter of seconds.

"Ni-Lin! Are you there?" Another soldier from the prison cell called.

Zuko and Katara froze and gave each other frightened stares.

He cleared his throat and answered in a gravelly, deeper tone, "Yes. I just… bumped my head. I'm lacing my boot, be back in a moment."

Katara bit her tongue to keep from laughing at him. Zuko dragged the man into a room off the hall they were positioned in.

"Help me put this on." Zuko whispered, ignoring his state of slipped dignity and gesturing to the pile of disembodied armor.

Katara's fingers fumbled to strap on the strange clothes to Zuko's frame.

"You do have a plan, right? You're not just dressing up for the fun of it?" she asked, yanking the chest plate over his head.

"Stop nagging," he barked.

They finished securing everything and Katara stepped back to check that all was in its place.

"You're good to go," she whispered.

He pulled the helmet over his head and leaned towards her before covering his face with the bone-white plate.

For a sickening long moment, Katara thought he was going to kiss her, but he hushed in her ear, "Surprise them."

Before explaining himself, he slipped around the corner, leaving the water bender to marvel at the complexity of the fire prince that had just left her side.

xxx

Ni-Lin waltzed back down the hall. At least, Sokka considered it a waltz. There was no other word to describe the pompous way he threw his hands back with each step and hunched his shoulders like an official. He thought Ni-Lin was a low-rank; that's why he was guarding Sokka, and not on deck, aiding to whatever battle was being waged up there.

Ni-Lin reached up subconsciously to tug at his neckline. "I've been up on deck, assessing the situation-."

"You went on deck?"

"I was… afraid that the princess would be dissatisfied with our idleness. She asked that we join her up there. Two of us are to stay down here, and she requested it be me and him." Ni-Lin pointed to the shorter of the four.

Sokka arched his eyebrow. Somehow that guy had contracted a cold within the few minutes he'd been absent.

Aang's gaze pierced the small openings the helmet allowed, searching the eyes that peered out there. One was amber, and the other could barely be seen over a blazing red scar. Aang's eyes widened in recognition, but he kept quiet to keep his friend under the small cloak of secrecy he had erected.

Sokka caught the expression that crossed Aang's features and decided to hold back teasing Ni-Lin.

Three of the soldiers left, adjusting their uniforms. The Princess hated slackers, and that included the dress code.

"If he's here…" Sokka said, jerking his head towards Ni-Lin, "Then where's-."

A sharp splash was heard down the hall, accompanied by a triumphant cry.

"Yes! I got 'em!"

The last remaining soldier jumped out into the hall to help his fellows, but Ni-Lin tripped him.

Sokka jumped on top of the fallen man and swung his fist into the back of his head. The soldier collapsed again and didn't rise.

"Ha! Contain me now!" Sokka exclaimed.

Katara dashed into the cell and threw herself into her brother. "Sokka! You're okay!"

He squeezed her back. "I was so worried about you, Katara."

Zuko crossed the cell and began working on Aang's chains. Katara pushed him aside and froze the chain links closest to her friend's wrists and ankles. She stepped back.

"Okay, now hit them."

Sokka had found his boomerang and club and let out a joyous sound.

Aang, finally released of his steely imprisonment, embraced Katara. She grinned at him. "I missed you, Aang."

Zuko pulled off his helmet. "This is great and all, but where is Uncle?"

Aang crumpled his brow. "I don't know. He's on this level, I know."

"Who's going to find him?" Sokka asked, strapping on his beloved weapons and handing Aang his staff.

A crash interrupted their reunion. They waited, listening to hear some sort of battle cry or symbol of a defeat.

"Zuko! You can't hide forever!" Azula bellowed into the ship's dank interior.

"No…" Zuko muttered.

"That's bad, isn't it?" Sokka asked.

"We need to find Iroh, and we need to distract her," Aang said.

"Who said you could make the plans?" Zuko snapped.

"Oh, please," Katara scoffed, "Just wearing that uniform makes you arrogant again! You were perfectly fine just a few minutes ago!"

"You're not in the-." Zuko snarled. Aang cut him off.

"Guys. Come on. She's gonna find us. How about we split up. Zuko and I will keep Azula busy. Katara, you and Sokka will find and heal Iroh, then take him up to the deck. Zuko and I will meet up with you as soon as we can. Sound good?"

They all exchanged glances, then nodded unanimously.

xxx

"I want you to find them, and I want you to keep them alive." Azula instructed.

The malice in her voice made her soldiers quiver with an unnamed fear. They dashed off into the ship.

xxx

"We need to keep her above this level." Zuko whispered to Aang as they glimpsed her stalk down a hallway.

Aang nodded his agreement.

The two of them snuck down a hall. Zuko reached out to Aang's shoulder to gain his attention; he had a subtle idea that would lead her away without too much pain on their part, but Aang's shoulder wasn't there.

"Hey! Fire-witch! Over here!"

Zuko groaned and grabbed Aang's collar.

Azula spun around and let loose an other-worldly howl that struck the boys' very souls. They bolted in the opposite direction.

"That was really dumb!" Zuko bellowed, rounding a corner and jumping onto a ladder.

"She was about to go the prisoner's block!" Aang countered, hopping up behind him.

"I hope you can keep a firm hand on that avatar," Azula screeched, "If he keeps running his mouth, he may not stand a chance to see my father!"

Zuko pulled Aang up onto the second level before she sent a flame tearing through the portal. They kept running, blindly.

"She's gaining on us!" Zuko cried, glancing over his shoulder.

"Not for long. Grab hold of me!"

Zuko wrapped an arm around Aang, preferring to trust him over taking precious seconds to question him. Aang kicked up his feet and flew through halls, his speed proving the reality of his own legend. Zuko's legs dangled behind him. Aang turned a corner, stepping on the wall to counter his speed.

A room they breezed past caught the avatar's attention. He halted, alighting to a stop easily himself, but Zuko's force couldn't be stopped as elegantly. He plowed into Aang and brought him to floor.

"What are you doing?" Zuko gasped, his stomach lurching.

"I think we have some time for a little pleasure stop," Aang grinned, gesturing to the room.

xxx

"He went this way," Sokka said, pointing further down the prisoner's block.

A scream and another crash met their ears.

"I hope they're okay." Katara hushed.

"I hope they can keep her busy," Sokka said. "She's pretty tough."

"Look, there's a light in that room!"

They dashed to it and peered cautiously within. Iroh was slumped in a corner, his slack mouth and limbs blaring his state of illness.

Katara gasped, "He looks bad."

"He was bad when we first saw him, and he hasn't gotten any better," Sokka answered.

Katara knelt next to the old man. "I don't know if I can help him, Sokka. I've only healed cuts and bruises. This is big."

"I don't think he'll last much longer." Sokka said, staring at his sister's face with earnest. "You're his only hope."

Katara bit her lip and stared into Iroh's blank, grey face.

Zuko's uncle… she thought numbly. If I help him for any reason at all, I'll do it because Zuko needs him.

Iroh seemed to fade before her and all she could see was Zuko's stricken expression after he'd hurt her. He wasn't a bad person. He was doing everything out of good intentions. He wanted love, and here this man in front of her had been the only one to give it to him.

Katara pressed a hand to her heart, as if perhaps the sympathy she felt might heal Iroh.

Something sharp pressed her chest.

"Pakku's water!" she gasped. "Maybe it'll help!"

"But didn't he say it only had 'special properties'?"

"That and not to lose it." She agreed. "But it's worth a try."

She uncapped the crystal vial and parted Iroh's lips. She only allowed a small bit of it to escape into his throat, lest it not work. They waited. No signs of progress surfaced.

"Oh no…" she cried. "It didn't work."

"He's getting pinker…" Sokka noted.

The two of them held their breaths and watched him hopefully.

Iroh took a deep breath and blinked his eyes open. He took in his surroundings slowly and finally his eyes settled on Katara.

"Did my nephew finally swallow his pride?" he asked with a smile.

xxx

"Zuko, I welcome you to Princess Azula's royal establishment." Aang said grandly, stepping aside to reveal a lavish dormitory.

Zuko's stern expression went slack. "Why is this fun?"

"I thought maybe you and me could do some redecorating." Aang answered mischievously.

Zuko glanced down the hall. "We don't have time."

"Yeah, we do. Haven't you wanted to do something that would just stick it in her face a little?"

Zuko afforded a small grin. "Only a few minutes."

They entered the room and Zuko locked her door behind him.

xxx

"Are you okay?" Katara asked.

Iroh struggled to right himself. "I will be, if given a few moments, and if I may ask a few questions."

Sokka glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know how much time we have, so be quick."

"Good. First of all, where are we?"

"Azula's ship." Katara answered and checked Iroh's pulse.

"Azula? Well, I missed a lot. I suppose I'll catch up later. Now, where is my nephew?"

"Zuko and Aang went to distract Azula." Sokka answered, as Katara was counting heart beats.

"Zuko… and the avatar?"

The water tribe members nodded. Iroh's eyes widened.

"I've missed quite a lot. And you two are helping me?"

Again they nodded.

"I appreciate your aide very much. I am in your debt." Iroh bowed his head.

Sokka grinned slightly. "Well… That's-."

"We need to get out of here," Katara cut her brother off and slung Iroh's arm around her shoulders.

Sokka followed her lead and they heaved the old fire bender to his feet. A distant boom came from the deck.

"What is that?" Iroh asked.

"We rallied a bunch of earth benders to help us get you three back," Katara answered. She wrinkled her nose. Iroh's stench was burning her nostrils.

"Three?"

"Me, Aang, and you," Sokka replied.

"This is going to be some story," Iroh grunted.

xxx

Azula's wrath was not to be contained in fire. As much as she flung about the iron walls of her own ship, her rage was not to be dispersed in the slightest. Of all the places to lose the avatar, in her own ship bowls? She rounded a corner for the fifth time, and once again, failing to find her prisoners. Azula paused, considering heading back down to the first level, when she heard two boyish giggles coming from the direction of her room.

"They had better not be…" she growled and stalked toward the noise.

As her bedroom door came into view, Zuko and the avatar sped off in the opposite direction. Smoke curled around her doorframe.

"I wouldn't go in there, if I were you!" the monk shouted as he and his companion bounded from her view.

Her scream bolstered the boys' spirits considerably.

xxx

Haru wasn't doing badly; he wasn't triumphing, but he wasn't on his knees begging for mercy, either. He swung a boulder into a soldier's side, sending him spinning over the deck. Katara's 'slope plan' was working to his advantage slightly. The earth that the men on the dock bended up to them was much more easily attained. However, as it was difficult for Azula's men to get a good footing on the deck, so it was for the earth benders.

He glanced towards the breeched ship entrance. He hoped that they had found a way to elude Azula, despite his failed attempt to stop her from smashing through the wall he had erected.

Katara, Sokka, and an older man emerged from the ship's gloom.

"Katara!" Haru screamed, waving his hand ecstatically into the air.

She grinned back. Sokka scowled and turned so only his sister could hear.

"That guy again? Where'd he come from?"

"Zuko met him, actually, and he just sort of… tagged along."

"Anyone else I should know about?" Sokka asked.

Katara grinned back sheepishly.

xxx

"The bridge! The bridge!" Zuko bellowed.

He and Aang sped up another ladder. Azula was practically nipping their heels.

"Where's the bridge?" Aang asked, panicked.

"Why are you leading?" Zuko snapped and pushed around Aang.

"You put me in the lead, remember?"

Zuko pushed open a door, and they faced the helmsman. The helmsman was running around to different levers and knobs and trying all of them unsuccessfully.

"How's the view from up here?" Aang asked him jovially.

The man yelped. Zuko ignored him and made his way to the front, to inspect the battle below them.

"Who's winning?" he asked.

Aang peered over his shoulder. "Hard to tell. Look! There are the others!"

"And there you are," Azula growled from behind them.

"Princess…" the helmsman stuttered, "I found the intruders that you commanded we not allow to escape."

"No you didn't! I did!" she replied icily.

Zuko tensed his arm to fling fire at his sister, but Aang grabbed his arm and jumped out the window.

"Aang!" Zuko yelled as he found himself plummeting towards the deck.

Just as they were about to face a most certain death by impact, Aang pulled his arms in front of him and created a cushion of air. They landed softly upon the deck.

"Don't… ever… do that again!" Zuko snapped.

Katara set Iroh down on his feet and ran to her fallen friends. She helped Aang to stand up.

"Did you lose-." Katara began to ask.

"Get back here!" Azula screamed from the helm.

"No." Zuko answered Katara dully. "We didn't lose the 'fire-witch', as Aang calls her."

"Heh heh. So… you found Iroh? Is he alright?" Aang covered his foolishness.

Zuko focused on his uncle and found infinite solace in the old man's healthy, glowing face. Iroh smiled at Zuko.

"He's fine, just tired." Katara said softly, her eyes on Zuko's.

His gaze found hers and they locked eyes for one peaceful moment.

"Thank you," he told her quietly, a message that seemed meant only for her to hear, and probably never to be heard again.

Their bubble of calm was shattered as a crash was heard from the ship entrance. Azula stood among the swirling dust like a phoenix in the dawn, although no one found her presence to be wondrous or beautiful. Zuko moved towards her, glancing over his shoulder to Aang and Katara.

"I'll handle her. Go help the others."

Aang obeyed and flew off to get Iroh to a safety, but Katara stayed, her eyes burning a familiar determined ferocity. She'd help him, whether he liked it or not.

"I don't know what you think you're doing. Did you honestly think to overthrow my operation?" Azula drawled.

Katara noted that she had the same pomposity as her brother was so famous for beholding. It must've been a family trait.

Zuko glared back at her. "I honestly think I am overthrowing you operation. Look around you. You're beat. We've got your ship. I've got the avatar and Uncle, and you don't have me."

"I don't have you yet," Azula snarled.

xxx

"General Iroh, sir." Aang said, alighting in front of him with a bow. "I think-."

"Please," Iroh said, waving his hand. "Do away with formalities."

"Okay. Your niece is gonna blow the place. We need to go." Aang grinned and reached out to escort Iroh. "Oh, and have you seen Sokka?"

"The girl's brother? He's out fighting, which I should be as well."

"Not right now. I'm sure you'll get your turn eventually, but you just need rest."

"And Zuko?"

Aang glanced over his shoulder at the fight that was ensuing between the rivaling siblings.

"I'll come back to help him as soon as you have a safe place to- Appa! They found Appa!"

Aang hobbled with Iroh's arm draped over his shoulder to his animal guide.

"His name is Appa?" Iroh gasped.

xxx

Katara hung back, trying to seem consumed with a fight with another fire bender, but in truth she was just toying with him so she could keep an easy eye on Zuko. She wasn't sure how he could hold up against Azula, but she wasn't willing to risk it. She wanted to be there just in case he fell.

Zuko crashed onto his back and didn't move for a few moments. His eyes were squeezed shut. Azula stepped forward, with two fingers drawing a circle around her body.

Katara pushed the soldier over the side of the ship and bolted for Azula. The princess swung her arms around her, and blue sparks emitted from her fingertips. Zuko raised his head to stare wordlessly at the monstrosity about to hit him head-on. Katara's heart raced. She wasn't sure if she could do anything.

It's lightening… Katara thought suddenly.

The blue engulfing Azula's body became brighter. Without sparing a second thought, Katara threw water around Azula.

Her own power became her downfall. The water magnified the lightning's intensity and sent the wild current through its creator.

xxx

"And that's how Appa and I became friends." Aang explained to Iroh, setting a hand in his friend's thick, white fur.

Azula's shriek that came from the ship blocked out any other sound. Iroh and Aang turned back, mouths agape. An eruption of dazzling white light exploded from the deck.

xxx

It took Zuko several moments to grasp fully what had just happened. Azula had been standing over him, about to send him to his death, most likely, and suddenly she was being zapped by her own blue lightening. He looked her fallen form over. Her clothes were singed, her hair sporting a tiny flame. Zuko gazed wildly around and his eyes settled on a frazzled Katara.

She drew a shaky breath. "I hoped that would work."

"You did that?" Zuko asked.

She blinked and turned back to him. "Yes. I did."

"Woo Katara!" Sokka screamed.

All other members of the deck had stilled, staring disbelievingly at the scene that had been played out before them. The fire benders dropped their hands uncertainly. Their princess was… down. What were they supposed to do now?

The earth benders began roaring immediately following the short stun period and chanting Katara's name.

Zuko's gaze hadn't left the water bender, and hers fluttered back to him. She gave him a small smile.

There were only a few time in his life when he'd been at a loss for words. A majority of them had been within the past few years. One especially being now.

This girl had saved him. Someone had rescued him.

Katara knelt next to him and extended her hand. She didn't have to say anything, nor could she conjure up any appropriate comment to be passed to him.

He took her hand and together they stood underneath a cloak of understanding.

xxx

A/N

There is quite a lot that I am willing to change in this chapter, but overall, it was the yummiest, I think.


	19. Chapter 19

The fire benders, taking their beaten princess as a sign of their defeat, gave in willingly. The uniformed soldiers were taken below deck, to be housed in the very cells that they had shackled Aang inside only hours before.

Sokka bounded to his sister and they embraced. "You took her down!" he exclaimed.

She grinned. "Zuko did all the work, really." She met his eyes once more, and she thought she saw the ghost of smile twitch across his face.

It vanished as a burly earth bender approached Zuko.

"He's a fire bender." He said, pointing to him accusingly. "I saw it. And just look: he's got a uniform on. He's going to be shut away as well."

Zuko curled his lip. "I'd like to see you try."

Katara moved in between the rivals. "No, don't. We trust Zuko-."

"Zuko?" Another earth bender closed in upon them. "Zuko the Fire Nation prince? You trust that slime?"

Sokka grabbed Zuko's arm to prevent him from lunging at the name-caller. Aang found the conflict unfolding and took a place between the opposing sides.

"What's going on?" Aang asked.

"The avatar! He'll settle this. This little girl won't let us put him away."

"Little girl?" Katara growled.

"Why are you fighting?" Aang cried. "We just overtook Azula's ship, everyone's alive, and there are a few less fire benders that the world has to bear with now! What could possibly make you upset?"

Katara decided to let the earth bender's 'little girl' comment slide. The earth benders, however, were not to be deterred.

"This is Prince Zuko! Give us one good reason not to lock him up too."

"Because I trust Zuko." Aang replied sternly. "Is that reason enough?"

"That depends. Maybe you're not on our side." A thin, wiry man snapped back.

Haru gripped the man's shoulder. "Listen, Avatar Aang's only interested in helping for peace. Haven't you heard about the things he's done? He's a selfless monk who's our only hope to ever have peace again. I know Zuko as well, and just because he's the prince of the Fire Nation doesn't mean he's evil or scheming to end our lives. Right, Zuko?"

Zuko nodded as sincerely as he could.

"Now," Aang sighed. "Did that convince you?"

"Yes," the earth benders muttered, humbled.

Zuko took advantage of the lull to slip away to his uncle.

"Uncle? How do you feel?"

Iroh was seated on the ship's tipped railing. "Never better, especially seeing that you've reached a truce with the avatar."

Zuko ducked his head. "It was only to help get you back."

"There is no shame in turning to your enemy for help," Iroh said laying a gentle hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Uncle." Zuko raised his gaze and gave a genuine smile.

"And not to mention, that water bender isn't that bad looking either, eh?"

Zuko groaned. "Uncle… please…"

"What? You have eyes, don't you?"

xxx

Aang, Katara, and Sokka stood together on the deck once all the fire benders had been secured.

"So… Here we are again." Katara said happily. "I told you it wouldn't be that long."

Sokka draped an arm over his sister's shoulders. "It felt a lot longer."

Aang sighed. "Yeah, it did. We have a lot of stories to share."

"Let's eat first," Sokka said, patting his stomach. "That slop Azula fed us was awful."

The three of them laughed easily once more.

"Listen," Aang said, lowering his voice slightly. "Before we go, I wanted to ask you guys something."

Sokka groaned. "It's about Zuko, isn't it?"

"I want to ask them if they want to travel with us…"

Katara lapsed into silent contemplation, but Sokka let out another groan.

"Aang, you're gonna ask the guys who've been on our tails since the South Pole to join us? You're just asking for trouble!"

"They have nowhere to go, and I don't think that they even can consider trying to take me to the Fire Lord."

"Aang," Katara said gently, "If you're thinking of also having them teach you fire bending, I don't think they will. You'd be asking them to help you kill Iroh's brother and Zuko's father."

"Point… Katara, one. Aang, zip." Sokka said sarcastically.

"I know." Aang replied somberly, "But I can't just let them struggle on their own, either. There's a warrant for their arrest."

Katara glanced at Sokka and cleared her throat.

"What?" he snapped.

"Point. Katara, one. Aang, one." She replied.

"No. I'm referee, and that's not a good point." He folded his arms across his chest.

"Well, I'm with you, Aang. But I wouldn't expect to receive an okay." Katara said.

"Thanks, Katara."

They both looked at Sokka expectantly.

"Even if you do say no, you'll be outnumbered." Katara pointed out.

"Katara, two. Sokka, zip." Aang chuckled.

Sokka sighed. "Zuko's a jerk."

"Not all the time." Katara countered. "He can be fairly normal."

"If they turn out to be… the same as they were, then we can leave them." Aang offered.

"They have money," Katara added.

Sokka scoffed. "So?"

"Money to buy food."

"Oh. Well… I may consider-."

"Great!" Katara exclaimed.

"I don't think we'll regret this," Aang said reassuringly.

xxx

"Are you sure you won't stay?" Katara asked Haru.

They stood outside Nishe, the setting sun sending blazes of orange upon the quiet houses. Katara didn't really want Haru to stay with them, but he had been a help, and her policy was politeness.

"Yeah… I've wanted to get to the tournament for awhile, and they said because of our 'interruption' that they'd start them over."

"Well, good luck."

"I'll really miss you…" Haru inclined his head toward her.

Katara stumbled backward. "Uh… me too. Have fun at the tournament. See you later. Bye."

"Oh… okay, then." He grinned and waved. "Bye."

She walked back over to the others, her cheeks flushed pink.

Zuko smirked and muttered to her as she sank to the ground beside him, "You didn't kiss him goodbye?"

She sent him a glare in reply.

Earlier, Aang had convinced Iroh to sup with them, and in turn, Iroh convinced Zuko to eat with them as well. They planned to find food somewhere in Nishe, but everywhere was closed, and the only two places open had a three hour wait to be seated. They did find a grocer who had sold them the little food he'd had left in the 'tournament rush', and they lounged in a sleepy corner of the city to eat their dinner.

Iroh enjoyed the company very much. He and Sokka had apparently found common interests in food, and chattered endlessly about it.

Zuko, Katara, and Aang were left to either listen to the babble, or entertain themselves.

Aang was working up the nerve to ask Zuko and Iroh to join him.

"How are you doing, Aang?" Katara asked.

He glanced up from his daze into the bowl of pudding. "Oh… I'm fine, just thinking."

"I've got an idea," Katara said to the group, and waited patiently for Iroh and Sokka to listen before she continued. "How about we tell our share of what happened?"

"That's a splendid idea." Iroh agreed and stroked his overgrown beard. "If I may, I'll go first." He chuckled. "I went to sleep and woke up."

The rest giggled. Zuko stared at his uncle; he was used to his jokes, and he hadn't really laughed at any of them in awhile.

Aang and Sokka took their turn next, and slowly the group began to come into a brighter light of understanding. Zuko stayed quiet while Katara told their part, and was thankful she left out most of it. Finally, when all questions had been answered fully, they settled back, with peaceful smiles dancing in the flickering flame that Zuko had set up in the center of their circle.

Aang trailed his finger in the dirt beside him. If he was to ask Iroh and Zuko, it was now or never.

"So… I was thinking…"

Zuko's heart froze. He could already guess what was coming next, and he'd been hoping that it would never come. He closed his eyes.

Aang continued. "I'm not sure where you two are going, but King Bumi said I have to find an earth bending master skilled in neutral jing, so we're heading to Ba Seng Se. We hope to find someone there. If you two want to come along, that's fine with us."

Iroh's brow furrowed, and he looked darkly to Zuko.

Some sort of wild fury suddenly rose within Zuko, and he stood up suddenly.

"No." he answered coldly and stalked off into the woods behind them.

Iroh sighed.

Katara looked apologetically at Aang. He dropped his gaze. "Sorry I asked."

"I'll go talk to him," Iroh said, and braced himself to stand.

"Wait." Katara said and stood up herself. "I'll go talk to him."

Sokka and Aang exchanged glances.

"I'm not so sure that he'll take that too well…" Iroh tried to sway her.

She began to walk in Zuko's direction. "He'll have to."

Sokka picked his teeth with a bone. "Katara's pretty steadfast."

Iroh shook his head. "And so is my nephew."

xxx

Ty Lee and Mai stood on the deck of the uprooted ship, unsure of whether to run away or to stay. Either would probably prove disastrous.

"Do you think we should-." Ty Lee began to ask, but was cut off by a scream that shook their roots in a way that nothing ever could.

"That's Azula," Mai said quietly.

"Is she hurt?" Ty Lee asked, stepping back on her feet as lightly as she could muster.

"I doubt it, but we're going to be." Mai answered solemnly.

xxx

Zuko sat curled on the ground, his back facing whoever was sneaking up behind him. He had expected, but not wanted, someone from that little posse to try and 'coax' him into joining the avatar.

"Whoever you are," he growled. "Leave."

"Not until I understand why you won't travel with us. It's just traveling, Zuko." Katara pleaded.

Zuko stood up to face her. "Do you realize that by asking me to join him you are asking me to forfeit everything that makes me part of who I am?" He paused, and she waited patiently for him to continue. He dropped his gaze to glare at a patch of grass. "The last thing my mother ever said to me was 'never forget who you are'. If it's the last thing I do, then I will gladly die fulfilling her last request."

Katara shook her head. "But Zuko…"

"By joining the avatar I will completely renounce my title and my nationality. Do you think anyone in the Fire Nation will want to claim someone who is with the only boy capable of stopping them? No."

"Your title? Your nationality? Those things aren't what make you who you are."

Zuko finally met her eyes with a bewildered stare.

She barreled on, her resolve bolstered by his attention. "What you think, what you believe and what you do are what make you who you are. Don't you think your mother wanted you to be happy, and not simply fulfilling traditional obligations?"

"You don't know what my mother wanted." He spat.

"But you do, and do you think she wanted that for you? And why would you want to claim allegiance to the man who banished his own son? He burned you, Zuko!"

"I know that!" Zuko flared, sending Katara a step backward with his flame. "I live with that knowledge every day, every moment! You don't have to remind me of that."

"And you would still swear to his name?" she asked, unperturbed by his outburst.

He shook with rage, and Katara wasn't sure to whom his anger was directed to.

"I'm the prince," he said, his voice losing its harshness. "Do you think I have a choice?"

"Yes. No one has to spend their life doing someone else's bidding. My grandmother didn't want me to leave home. She thought that Aang would be nothing but a disappointment for me… I left anyway, Zuko. I stood for what I believed in, even if that meant going against my own family."

He unclenched his fists. He was sure that she of all people, who was so family-orientated, would do anything for her relatives.

"You went against your family's wishes?"

"If you call Gran-Gran a family, sure. In the end she finally supported me… You can do the same, Zuko. No one's holding you back. Do what you want to do, because your life is yours and yours alone. And think about what your mother would have really wanted; your happiness, or your fulfillment of duty."

Katara waited for Zuko to respond, but he only sank back onto the ground, his back facing her once more. She turned to leave, but turned around to say one thing more.

"I know that _I_ would want you to be happy, at least, and we'd all be really glad to have you."

As she was walking back to the others, Zuko glanced behind him to watch her fade from his vision.

xxx

A/N

Yes! I thought up that conversation about a month ago, and just now wrote it. Usually when I think something up it comes out different onto paper (or the screen), but this time it actually came out RIGHT.

Go me.


	20. Chapter 20

Sokka, Aang, and Iroh's eyes trailed Katara as she stepped back into their ring.

"How did it go?" Iroh asked softly.

She folded herself up next to Sokka. "I don't know." She replied softly. "I tried."

"He's very stubborn." Iroh said sympathetically and handed her a steaming cup. "But I find it's easier to deal with him when you have a cup of tea at hand."

She took it gratefully. "Have you been with him ever since he was… banished?"

Iroh nodded.

"Has he ever thanked you?" Sokka asked dryly. Katara nudged him. "What? It's just a question."

"Well… Zuko has his own way of thanking… Most of them are subtle and mostly unspoken." Iroh grinned. "He actually has a very sweet disposition." He glanced at Katara when he said that.

Aang laughed softly. "I don't think we've ever seen that part of him."

"He's willing to give, but he doesn't know how to receive." Iroh sighed.

Aang nodded. "I'll agree with that."

The group lapsed into silence, all contemplating the complexity of a certain prince, except Sokka, who was wondering what Momo would look like with a green tail.

Zuko appeared from the gloom of the forest and all eyes alighted upon him. He shifted under their gazes and finally took a seat.

"Aang…" he muttered. "I'd like to join you."

He raised his gaze to meet the startling blue of Katara's. She smiled approvingly.

Iroh handed Zuko some tea.

"Let us all drink to this official bonding of avatar," Iroh gestured to Aang, "And Fire Nation."

Zuko stared deep into the liquid in his cup and then took a deep swig of it.

"Fire, water, and air." Aang noted. "This is a momentous occasion."

"Yeah… I'm tired. See you all in the morning." Sokka rolled away to curl up at Appa's feet.

"He is simply entertained." Iroh noted wryly.

"That's Sokka." Katara smirked. "If he's got food, sleep, and his boomerang, he's happy."

"Sleeping does sound like a good plan." Aang yawned. "You're all welcome to curl up with Appa. He's used to company."

Zuko wrinkled his nose. "Sleep… with the giant bison?"

"Yup." Aang replied and fell next to Sokka.

Katara joined her brother and Aang in slumber beneath Appa's shadow, and Iroh discovered the use of Appa's tail. Zuko, however, laid down next to his fire and watched it until his eyes finally drooped.

xxx

Katara couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more at ease. In the dawn of her waking, she realized that for once she had nothing to fear, nothing to escape from. The prince that had been plaguing her conscience for months was finally… beside her. He was a part of them now. Azula was locked away in her own ship, and at least they'd been given a few days of head start. The calm that had settled over Katara's heart was reason enough for her to close her eyes for a few more moments…

She felt a nudge at her shoulder. She opened her eyes to shoo Momo away and let her have her peace, but his green eyes were not what returned her gaze.

Zuko knelt next to her, gesturing her to follow him. He stood and began to walk into the waking sun's rays that fell across the forest. He whirled back around to gesture to her.

Katara glanced around her, just to check on Aang's condition. She found that, lately, she'd been more concerned with his safety and well-being than even her own. Upon finding that he was still curled into a ball next to his fluffy, giant of a friend, she unfurled herself from her sleeping bag and followed Zuko.

The pair walked side by side. The only sound heard was the squishing of their shoes in the mud beneath them. Katara's mind was buzzing with grogginess and confusion. What in the world could he possibly have to say to her?

Finally, Zuko came to a stop and turned to face her.

"Thanks for coming," he said. His voice, to her, seemed less sharp, and she caught herself in her amazement that he could, in fact, be direct without being harsh.

His eyes searched hers for a moment, then he focused in the other direction, finding it hard to face the hollow feeling that had overtaken him upon meeting her gaze.

"Sure." Katara acknowledged, cursing herself for ruining such a sincere moment with such a dim-witted response.

Her comment didn't seem to faze him, and he continued, "I've never been able to face who I was. Even to myself I was a failure. It's hard to live with yourself when you see yourself that way." He paused, taking a breath.

Katara resisted the urge to look around her. Part of her wanted someone to see this; Zuko was being honest! The other part wanted no one to see; this moment was her and Zuko's and theirs alone.

"I always thought that I had to impress everyone else. I had to please them. My life was not my own." He swiveled his gaze to her once more. "That's how I've always felt, until last night. What you said made a lot of sense."

Katara nodded. "Your life is your own to live."

"I'm going to do that now." Zuko straightened his shoulders. Katara was reminded of the proud prince that had crushed his way into her village so many months ago, but this time she wasn't frightened. She was just as proud of him.

"I wanted to thank you for what you said." Zuko murmured. "I haven't felt this way since my mother was around."

"Well, I'm glad what I said had some affect." Katara shrugged.

Zuko's eyes pierced hers for a long time. He wasn't sure she understood the impact she had made, or the sincerity he was trying to convey. Finally he found her jovial expression soften into something almost matronly, and he knew that she understood, but was too conscious of his feelings to draw this moment out any further.

"This is the second time you've thanked me in two days," Katara teased.

He smiled. "It should probably be a lot more."

"Probably."

He drifted off into staring at the landscape. She joined his view.

"The mist…" she whispered.

"The earth was hot yesterday." Zuko whispered back, but unsure why their voices were hushed. "The rain last night cooled it off quickly."

She neglected to tell him that she probably could've figured that out herself and having him voice the science of the scene was kind of a kill-joy. She gave him a glance. He caught it.

"It's pretty." He shrugged.

She chuckled. "Yes. It is."

Together they watched the mist rise into the canopy, and this time the scene that met their eyes was beauty to them both.

xxx

A/N

Oh. My. God.

One, I finished a story properly. I stress the finish and the proper part, although I do realize how short it is. As patient as I've been throughout the whole thing, I finally gave up with details that wouldn't make sense anyway (much like this author's note, eh?).

Two, I actually made the title fit in with the story! At first I just took that title because it popped into my head and sounded cool, but I actually made it make sense!

Three, just in case there is a mad onrush of angry comments "You made a Zutara end like THIS? You wuss!" I am making a sequel, okay? It'll be the one that says 'sequel to rising from the mist', hopefully called the Aftermath. If not, just keep checking into my account to see what I'm up to.

I also may update these chapters. If something happens in the REAL series, and it disproves anything (especially the part about Jeong Jeong being the General to whom Zuko spoke out against… I'm surprised that hasn't stirred more controversy…) then I'll change it around.

Thank you to all my avid reviewers! I love you all, and I hope to catch you in the sequel ('the Aftermath' is what it's called, and it's up and ready now). You've made this trip loads and loads of fun!


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